Wanna go somewhere and talk about it?
by Kirbilius Clausius
Summary: Love is horrible. Soon you will know why.
1. Prologue

1

A faint "Teen Titans, go." was heard in the bank lobby. Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth spun their attentions to the large windows of the building's entrance. After a shard scattering crash, five bodies slammed into the floor. A large green tiger smacked into the tile paws first, claws extended. Thousands of black died, glass splinters hoverred in mid-air parting only for the cloaked girl with glowing white eyes. The tiny quills bounced around the smaller boy and off his black, yellow lined cape. Floating happily beside him was an orange skinned, fiery haired, futuristically clad girl with hands and eyes that glew an unearthly green. The last to enter, a metal coated behemoth crunched his way in.br

"Rassle, frasslin', snot buggin', Teen Titans!", Gizmo cursed, his short stocky body hanging from arachnid metal legs along with enough gold to out weigh him. "Follow me, boys.", Jinx called to her two accomplices while starting her, literally improbable, flips further into the building. Mammoth and Gizmo's exoskeleton took a single superhuman leap after her. Before the Teen Titans could make it half way into the lobby, the three were already out of sight through a single door to a single office. And before their five puruers could squeeze into the room, the juvenille delinquints and their ill gotten goods had completely dissappeared.

"Cyborg.", the caped boy said tersely.

"On it.", Cyborg called out. His mechanical eye glew red. His human eye stared intensely at the screen in his right arm. "You aren't going to like this, Robin."

"Just tell me.", Robin commanded. Cyborg grabbed the carpet and whipped it completely into his arms spilling furniture, plants, and Beast boy. On the floor was a, still glowing red slightly at its serrated edges, 'x' shaped hole in the floor. The hole was large enough to fit even Mammoth down into the sewers for an uncontested get away.

2

Across the street, on the roof of a building large enough to have two floors of store fronts and many apartments, stood a single black enclothed, caped figure. If the skull-like marking allowed facial expressions through, he would have smiled in satisfaction.

"Now", a voice identical to Robin's declared. "They're approachable."


	2. Acceptance

1

"Aargh! They're gone.", condemned Robin.

"Oh no, this is horrible.", lamented Starfire.

"Ah, ma-yan! Why did this have to happen?", questioned Beast Boy.

"Maybe if, no...what about, no...", Cyborg fell in and out of ideas.

"Hnmph.", Raven shrugged apathetically. "If anyone needs me to talk to the police, I'll be across the street. Let me know if there's something I can actually do."

2

Outside one of the building's across the street store fronts, a thin, pale, dark haired boy set a flower arrangement outside of the plant store he worked at. Aptly named, Goth, looked up at the cloaked and hooded girl that was floating down to him.

When she landed, she said, "We just had a major duping at the bank across the street." Just as the protectors of the peace arrived to late to protect the peace, Goth replied.

"Most every institution is a major duping. Wanna go somewhere and talk about it?"

It was met with the merest of interested smiles.

"I'm off at five."

3

"See, he's for real." Jinx stated.

The three were back at the decrepit basement they were using as a hide out after their escapes from the authorities and destruction of their previous school, H.I.V.E. Its leaky walls constantly irritated Gizmo who had his (the entire team's actually) gear on milk crates and other improvized supports. Mammoth's spine was only straight when he sat. Even Jinx' loud pink hair failed to brighten up the place.

"So he had an escape. So what?", asked a visibly irked Gizmo. "This 'The Red X' guy's not that smart if you asked me. I'm way smarter than him!"

"And that's why you used a simple gieger counter to see if a liquid radioactive isotope tagged you when you used the escape I provided.", the Red X said as his suit's optic camoflauge deactivated.

Mammoth had previously been bouncing his attention from the arguing Jinx to the complaining Gizmo. Surprised that someone had sneaked up on him, but resigned to such things as the damp moldy air wrecked havok with his sense of smell, he slammed the Red X to a wall with one huge, talonned hand holding his head. The Red X wrapped his whole right arm around Mammoth's wrist. Grabbing Mammoth's pinky with his right and left hands and using his entire weight. the Red X twisted Mammoth's arm and stood on his palm. This effectively held the giant subdued.

"Now do you have an appropriate reply, Gizmo?", the Red X asked. Gizmo's eyes were still bulging from the Red X's display of dominance. "No? Then I am 'on board' aren't I?"

"Not so fast.", Jinx demanded. "Say we want to work you into our way of doing things. What do you want?"

"Your way of doing things seems to fail often.", the Red X stated plainly. "You'll be working into MY way of doing things. As for what I want..."

By the time Mammoth turned to face the Red X after his arm was released, the newcommer was already across the room. The Red X had planted his hands against the wall. This sudden motion had scooped up Jinx who now had her hands resting on his shoulders, her legs trying to gain purchase on his hips and her face directly in the face of her new commander.

"...I think you'll be able to easily figure that out.", the Red X said as he, seemingly absent mindedly, fiddled with the oversized collar of her dress.


	3. Starfire and Robin

1

Noons like this one seemed as if they were becomming a habit. Robin was snoozing, sprawled out on top of Starfire. The two were in her bed. He was still nestled in her. The girl held him with all her limbs, sometimes kissing the crown of his head as Robin's height put his sleeping head on top of her grebnaks. Her blankets barely reached their waists.

Starfire basked in this afterglow. The sweat drying on her skin. Her still feeling him fill her. The smell of his hair-no, him filling her nostrils. Feeling his hair tickle the two nipples on her left grebnak and his breath on the right two.

Flashback 1

"Freind Robin, there is no need for you to obsess over the evil Slade anymore.", Starfire said from the doorway. The doorway to Robin's room was the only brightened place in the entire room. While some of her Earth friends revelled in dark rooms, Starfire always made sure to show extra concern for those that did. Raven would only lift a questioning eyebrow. Robin assured her that the best crime fighters did their best thinking in caves.

"I'm not obsessing over Slade.", Robin replied. The Boy Wonder turned away from the computer screen and other lab equipment on his work bench. "I was only thinking of what you said on Tameran. That perhaps you would find a groom on Earth."

Starfire held out a smile. "And what are your thoughts?"

"I ran a comparison of your Tameranean cell structure against human."

Starfire's smile faded just a little bit.

"You just have too many chromosones. I suppose in a species whose natural defence mechanisms are powered by emotions like love, loyalty and consciense that should be expected. I don't think you could even begin to have a half-human child.", Robin explained.

"Any genetic structure that can cope with as beautiful a soul as yours may be literally super-human."

And with that Starfire had cemented her descision. Turning away and walking down the hall, she told herself, "Then we will just have to mate for fun."

2

The Tameranian gazed lovingly at her sleeping lover. Sure she was mildly curious about what lay under his mask. But she knew every secret she needed to know about Robin, as Tameran would judge. As in tune with their emotions as her people were, some Tameranians would be in gorfong long relationships with partners they didn't bother to ask the names of. What was important for them to know was the valor, the championship, the chivalry of who they were with. What is a pretty name or a remembered birthday in comparison to security in the devotion of their partner?

Robin, to her, had a mask. His willingness to devote himself so much that he hid his identity to protect others only showed that she was with the person she should be with.

Flashback 2

Raven stood outside Starfire's room not quite believing she was hearing what she thought she was hearing. After knocking briefly, her friend's head appeared from behind the door.

"Come in, quickly, friend Raven.", the Tameranian said. Starfire literally pulled Raven into the room.

Raven realized she did, in fact, hear what she thought she was hearing. A surprising loud porno was playing on Starfire's wall screen. The couple on screen were doing their best to convince any viewer that their partner was the best in the world. "Uh...", Raven lifted an eyebrown while her violet eyes darted back and forth between the screen and Starfire.

"Is this the normal way for human coupling?", Starfire asked.

"Uh..."

"Is this really as pleasurable for humans as they make it seem?", Starfire inquired.

"Uh..."

"Is human semen really that whi/"

"Starfire.", Raven said curtly. "Why exactly are you asking me questions about...this?", she said waving her hands haphazardly toward the screen.

"I plan on mating with Robin. Only for the fun of it though, his genetic analysis showed I can't get pregnant by him." Raven's dreary look asked what this had to do with her. "On Tameran, their is the fornoi, the tatical planning of a first mating, between closest relatives."

"You mean Blackfire did this with you when were supposed to marry whatsitsface?", Raven asked.

"Well...my sister Blackfire is a fugitive criminal that performed a coup of the government of my home world, sought a lifetime of swamp planet married to an oppurtunistic glempork as my fate and incarcerated my friends.", Starfire answered. "It was sort of hard to get the fornoi started."

"uh huh", Raven uttered. The cloaked girl took a deep breath and tried to not have the rather vocal porno affect her. "Maybe you could ask simple, non-graphic questions."

"Okay.", Starfire agreed. "You are half human are you not?"

"Yes. And thank you for reminding me that I'm half demon.", Raven answered.

"You are welcome friend Raven.", Starfire continued on. "What actions make your human body benefit sexually? Will not Robin expect me to react to certain things as you are reacting now?"

"I am not reacting.", Raven said pointedly. She quickly cast her cloak over her now erect nipples. Her blush did not fade, though.

"Raven, remember the consequences of not admitting aspects of your mind. When you denied fear, it manifested in all sorts of ways, chasing down everyone in the tower.", Starfire cautioned. "I do not think you or your freinds would appreciate a repetition based on lust."

Raven had a small vision. In it, Cyborg turned from one hallway to another and high-stepped as fast he could down it. Robin came down the first hallway so fast he was making a few paces on the wall. Robin continued down the other by firing a grappling line into the ceiling and swinging into the new hallway. Beastboy rounded the same corner not too far behind the other two, pulling out his hair in a mad panic. "Run for your penises, it's The Attack of the Naked Shadow Rapist Chicks!", he cried.

"brrr", Raven shivered. "I suppose not." Her eyes turned fully to the screen. She took a deep breath."I am turned on-a little-by this and your questions. There, happy now?"

"With Tameranians, lusts can build up over times of...lonliness. Is it the same with humans?", Starfire asked.

"I suppose.", Raven answered carefully.

"This is wonderful.", Starfire exclaimed. Raven got a curious expression on her face. The shorter girl was certain she would not like what Starfire said next but was nontheless curious to hear it. "You will masturbate here and we will both benefit."

"WHAT?!", Raven exclaimed angrily.

"Well, you admitted you are stimulated sexually...", Starfire attempted to console.

"I do NOT masturbate.", Raven stated pointedly.

"And that is a problem. Your lusts will build up and condemn us all to a Titans Tower filled with the manifestations of your powers. If you masturbate now with me you will avert such a fate. And I will learn what a human male is to expect of my reactions. And since you do not masturbate, being with a close friend will comfort you in your first time of pleasure.", Starfire beamed.

Raven's eyes darted back and forth trying to fathom some counter arguement. And if she didn't know, for fact, how potentially lethal her powers could be, she would have long fled Starfire's room. "Stupid, uncontrollable, emotional instability festering powers.", Raven cursed. A slump of the young girl's shoulders signalled her resignation.

Starfire let out a squeal of glee."Do humans prefer standing up or do they partake of the softness of their beds like most sentient life-forms?", she asked.

Raven walked carefully over to Starfire's bed under watchful eyes. Starfire floated onto the bed right behind her. Raven felt the alien's weight sink into the bed behind her. Raven worked the clasp of her cloak and it fell to the bed. She could feel Starfire's breath wisping through her lavender hair. Out the corner of her eye she could see Starfire's face staring attentively down her front. "You're making me kind of tense there, Starfire.", Raven stated.

"Oh, I apologize, friend Raven.", Starfire comforted. The Tameranian then pulled Raven's leotard down from her shoulders and started to knead the muscles that were once underneath. "Is that better?", she asked. Raven wanted to lie, but instead nodded her head and tried to ignore that a girl was doing this to her. Starfire innocently asked, "Does my touch help inflame your lust fri/"

Raven bolted upright. Her face showed more fear and discomfort than any sort of lust right now. "I don't think this is gonna work, Starfire. Any...friskiness I had is fleeting by the moment."

Just then Starfire's room door burst open. Beastboy nearly fell into the girl's room but picked himself up and tore down the hall as fast as his human form could move. Flying after him was a beachball sized conglomeration of well worn clothes, its fumes trailing after it. A loud smack was heard.

"STANKBALL!", Cyborg yelled from the other end of the hall.

"Dude, what is this?", Beastboy asked. "Some kind of pink and green creamy cheese sauce in this sock?"

"Yep, it's gone.", Raven told Starfire. The girl picked her cloak and fixed her clothing's position on her. Walking to the door, Raven said, "Don't worry, Starfire. I will take your words seriously." Starfire started to smile a super-large smile. Raven held up a warning finger. "We won't be repeating that.", Raven said pointing to the bed. "But I won't ignore my...feminine feelings."

"Because I'm a girl. And girls feel things for boys. Not other girls.", she was saying mostly to herself. Then she walked out of the room. At that instant, an explosion of dirty clothes exploded around Raven's head in a nova of cotton and lyrca.

Instantly, the elephant's trumpet of triumph turned into Beastboy's meager, "uh oh." A glare nearly worthy of the Batman came down on Raven's face.

3

Starfire loved the sun pouring down on her. Earth had such a bright sun. And so very few on its native inhabitants appreciated it. Tameran orbited a blue star, affecting everything from the crops growing cycles to her people's perpetually purple trappings. The warmth on her skin was only seconded by the boy on her body.

She was grateful that he allowed subesequent intimacy after all the mistakes they had made.

Flashback 3

"I am sorry Robin!", Starfire squealed.

Robin sat up from the floor, rubbing his head. "What was slamming me into the floor from near cieling height for?!", a very perplexed male asked.

"Oooohhhhh. It is the slam of mating. With Tameranians, before males can copulate they must be jarred into arousal. Some choose to strike their males. The gentler way to generate the shock is to slam the male into a hard surface.", Starfire hastily explained.

"ugh", Robin moaned. "Let's not try that again, okay?"

"Okay, Robin.", Starfire agreed. "I will only slam you into the softness of a bed."

"That's not quite what I meant."

Flashback 4

Starfire was straddling Robin. Robin was naked from the waist up. Starfire had the most puzzled look on her face.

"Are you sure all human males males have nipples?", Starfire asked. "You can confide in me if you are abnormal."

"I'm not abnormal for having nipples, Starfire.", Robin replied. "99.999999999973 of human's have two nipples."

"Including the males.", Starfire restated carefully.

"Yes, including the males.", Robin assured.

"But no other planet's males have nipples. Even where the inhabitants are mammals.", she continued.

"Star..."

"Kryptonians didn't have nipples."

"Star."

"Oh, I am sorry Robin.", Star sighed. "I do not love you any less for your wierdness."

"I am not wierd!"

Flashback 5

For a moment, Starfire's eyes glowed a dangerously bright green. "What the snorka do you think you're doing?!", she asked tersely.

"Uh...pulling out of you and getting off you.", Robin stated the obvious.

"Don't you dare.", Starfire said in a nearly cold tone.

"Okay."

An hour later, she explained to a somewhat intimidated Robin. Tameranians got most of their joy of mating from the settling of her males essence in her womb. Without the possibility of pregnancy, there was no reason for Starfire to go without.

4

Robin started to stir. "Hey there.", he greeted.

"Hey there yourself.", Starfire gently replied.

"You know, I really should get to anticipating future targets and profiling Red X, right?", Robin suggested.

"Even if I were to perform the 'flying you to the cieling and grinding you against it'?", Starfire asked.

"I don't think you'd love me as much if I was seduced away from helping save the city.", Robin replied.

Starfire let go of him internally and sighed wistfully. "You are as brave as you are wise."


	4. the Red X and Jinx

1

"Does Gizmo always complain that much?", the Red X asked. Jinx and he were in the cab of a moving truck, driving to a hideout that their new squad leader was providing. Gizmo, Mammoth and everything they had rode in the back. Strangely enough, the Red X was right when he stated that spraying a reflective surface on the windows of the truck would evade all suspicion. No one noticed either of the two criminals.

"Yep.", Jinx confirmed. They had reached their destination at this point. In a classic suburban neighborhood there stood a classic suburban house. "What? Here?", Jinx pointed and asked while the Red X backed the truck into the backyard.

"Of course.", the Red X answered. "People have come to expect supervillains like myself and criminals with powers like you hiding out in slums and attacking in city centers. Suburbia-the land of blissful ignorance-is the motherland for hideouts. Why do you think the setting of The Sopranos is suburbia?"

"But how can you just have a big ass house in the middle of da 'burbs?", Jinx continued.

"My dear...I'm a successful thief.", the Red X replied. "Let's get everyone and everything inside. We have very little time before your first preperation."

2

Less than an hour or two later, the three ex-H.I.V.E. students were shown their respective places.

The first room of the house was more like a lobby than a living room . Its cieling was actually the cieling of the second floor. The front door was a hop skip and a jump away from the stairs that led to the stairs. Mammoth had one leg sprawled across the floor and the other laid from one end of the couch to the other. In one hand he held the remote to a television nearly as large as him and in the other, a large blunt that he handled like a joint. The Red X had accomodated his size again in showing one of the bathrooms was double doored, linked to this room and had a hot tub that could fit him even if the shower couldn't.

Beneath him was Gizmo's set up-the basement. Gizmo was already to go into a tirade until he saw the place. Long gone were the leaky walls he was accostumed to. A fine set up somewhere between 'top secret lab' and 'PeeWee's Playhouse' was his prize of the day. The tiny inventor had yet to stop bandying about the levels, slapping a few scattered parts together.

"There is room for you to clean up and get out of your costume.", the Red X informed him.

Gizmo stopped wiping off his goggles and glanced back at the Red X and Jinx. "What costume?", he asked. Then suddenly one of his haphazard jury riggings of a moment ago spewed grezse onto his coveralls.

"As long as you complete the designs I have given you, I'll let you be.", the Red X told him.

"Yeh, yeh, yeh. A red 'x' shaped compressable shield, red 'x' shaped gyro-guided throwing stars, red 'x' shaped chemical tactile mines, red 'x' shaped whatsitmahuziz, hand set time bomb with red 'x' on it, whatever.", Gizmo dismissed. "You'll get your stuff."

"By tomorrow.", the Red X pointed. "I give you your second success tomorrow."

Then the Red X took Jinx by the wrist and led her to the second floor of the house. "And this is your room.", he informed. The room was actually quite regular. A large but not luxurious bed. The drapes were drawn. The closet was large enough to lack the need for and dresser. The only unique thing was its lack of decor.

"So, I get to personlize it?", guessed Jinx.

The Red X laughed. "No.", he said shaking his head."My price from your team will be exacted from you here."

"What, no foreplay?", Jinx accused with bravado. "Okay big boy. You ain't ugly underneath that mask, right?"

"You misunderstand me...somewhat.", the Red X warned. "While what you are thinking will be true, it is not for the reasons you assume. I'm preparing you. What I do to you WILL be painful, humiliating-it will rend your very soul.However, it may actually save your life."

"Now strip."

Jinx raised an eyebrow at him. "Did I stutter?", asked the Red X. He grabbed her oversized collard and ripped his arms away from her. Buttons bounced off him. When her dress was whipped across the room, the villain squeezed her from her total body stocking like a toothpaste from a tube. As Jinx's jaw hung agape from the nigh-clinical brutality, the Red X shredded her bra away from her and dragged her underwear off. He even slipped her hair bands off, putting the bright pink pig tails into the very chaos she manipulated with her power. Neither knew when her shoes had come off.

Jinx lay on the floor, subconciously taking the fetal position while her mind tried to cope with what was happenning. H.I.V.E. had never taught her anything of this, because super heroes would never do something like this. Should she fight back, show the Red X that she had the spirit he was looking for? Or should she be accomodating, and help him get off, paying him back for leading her cohorts to the success she failed to give them? Was he insane? Was she? How far was this going to go?

The Red X pulled a red cord from his utility belt. Turning her on her belly, the Red X drew her elbows together and bound them together. Next, her wrists were individually attached to her upper arms, leaving her as if she was at the bottom of a push up. He then spun around and grabbed her now struggling feet. As soon as they were bound together he pulled them up and used the rest of the cord to truss her up completely. It was as if he had pre-measured the length to exactly her.

Jinx could barely move her head around enough to realize the only thing she could see was floor. Her hands were useless and her physical struggles only drug her nipples along the carpet. Her eyes began to glow pink.

"Don't. Get. Free.", the Red X said pointedly. He laid next to his vict...partner. "I want you to stay bound exactly like this until I return."

Jinx had to catch her breath before replying. "When's that gonna be?"

"I don't know.", said the Red X. "More importantly, you don't know. I'm going to leave. I'm going to tell Mammoth and Gizmo not to disturb you, and not tell them what I've done to you. I don't know when, or if, I'll return."

"I hope it's after you've lost all hope of me coming back to free you. I want it to be after you feel the absolute despair of knowing there is nothing to gain by remaining bound but remaining anyway. When your throat is sore from thirst, after you've wet yourself because there's no other option, when you're damning me to hells you have yet to imagine I still won't have come back."

He slid his hand along her back until it was resting on her butt.

"And you need to stay here. Bound. We both know you could just 'happen to slip free' or 'happen to have the cord snap'. You don't need to stay here because I'll leave the team or seek retribution or some such thing like that. You need to suffer this for your own self."

"Oh yes.", the Red X finished. "See if you stop huffing and puffing while you're at it."


	5. Beast Boy and Terra

"So Raven just takes off.", Beast Boy said. One would think Beast Boy had more issues than Time. He was sitting alone, on a picnic blanket. He was deep underground, in a volcanic flow tube. Aside from the single lantern he brought with him and a portable nightlight that had a bit of rock dust collecting on it, the cave was as dark as could be. If one didn't know better, one would have thought Beast Boy had travelled all this way to talk aloud to himself for no reason at all.

"I think she's gonna tell us she's going steady with this goth-guy soon.", he continued. He was sitting next to the statue of a girl. The girl wore a strange suit, designed to 'bring out the best' in her. Her goggles rested on her head above her hairline. But even these articles of clothing were stone. Everything about the statue was intricately detailed, right down to the wisps of straight hair that seemed caught in mid waft over her forehead.

"I hope something gets her in a good mood soon. Every memory I have of Raven is something bad happenning-Malchior, Nevermore, Wicked Scary..." Beast Boy had started coming down here regularly. He told himself it was for her-at first. He brought the nightlight, in case Terra didn't like the dark and could still see. He dusted her off every day...for two days straight. After that he had realized the question, what if he brushed too much off? He did still make sure to tell her statue about everything Robin's forensic analysis, Cyborg's inventivness, Raven's arcane research and even Starfire's recountings of different alien rumors in relation to restoring her.

"I, on the other hand, was in prime form that fight." Why Beast Boy really came down here for, even if he didn't admit to himself, is that Terra still could do one of the things for him he loved her for. Listen to him prattle on endlessly. Where everyone else found themselves annoyed, Terra would find herself enthralled. Terra spent so much of her life before travelling endlessly, restlessly. Yet she never found interest in it. Beast Boy could do nothing but sit in front of the TV for hours on end and have story to tell at the end of it.

"Ya see, the difference between an aardvark and an anteater is..." Long story short, Beast Boy was everything she wasn't. Terra, with her blonde locks and blue eyes, appeared as normal as anyone else while Beast Boy couldn't be mistaken for anything other than Beast Boy. Where the boy grew up living "la vida couch potato", Terra grew up running. Terra lived in constant fear her powers would give her one of many dismal fates (like the one she now suffered) whereas Beast Boy had a nigh innate control over his shifting, whether for pre-historia or even alien animals. Terra had consciously betrayed everyone she ever cared for, while even the Man Beast had protected his friends.

"So...", Beast Boy started. This was the uncomfortable part. "See you here tomorrow. Don't go anywhere." This always brought a tear to his eye and a lump to his throat. Rather than start the internal debate that would go nowhere, he abruptly turned. Beast Boy through everything but the lantern and the nightlight in his picnic basket. He hung the lantern around his neck. Shifting into a condor form, he grapsed the basket with his talons and flew away.

After a few moments, the Red X stepped out of the shadows.

"Beast Boy acts like he really cares about you...Terra, right?", the Red X pointed out. One of his gloved hands rested on the seat of her stone shorts. "But it's just an act. He needs a certain justification from you. His maid of honor-a focal point for his chivalry. After all, what use is being heroic if all it gains you is a regular beating? But what else is a shape changing, lounge about child going to do? School? A day job?"

"Of course not. So he does what he does for the payment he gets. He's surrounded by people living in worlds just as wierd as he is.", the Red X continued. By this time he was standing behind her and both his hands had found their way to her rocky breasts. "He gets to idolize someone wanting his heroic self conception. Even if it is a traitor that threatened the other friends."

"Do you see the classic double-think? His love for you is just cognitive dissonance-the mind game his brain plays with itself to justify his actions. The good news is that you weren't evil. The bad news is he isn't really righteous. Morality, high and low emotions-all are just a delusion bred from the marraige of the absolute terror of not being ensouled and the desire to be happy."

The Red X' hands travelled down to the front of Terra's corpse'...statue's shorts. "And I'm going to prove it. Even a strong willed mind would succumb to temptation over what it should do by any moral standards. It would even pretend that its actions are just as moral as ever."

"Do want to hear how? I mean, I am a supervillain. I have to tell some captive my sinister plan. And you won't tell anyone."

Terra's statue stood as motionless as the surrounding solid rock.

"I'll whisper it close enough that if you wake up from this, everytime your green admirer touches you you'll scream remembering me."


	6. the Date

1

"Wow.", Raven said, eyes widening.. "You're the only one that gets me flowers."

"Don't feel special because I got you flowers.", Goth replied. "I work in a flower shop. I get a discount and its convenient."

Raven's eyes returned to their normal size.

"Feel special because you're you.", he continued.

"Hm.", Raven started. They walked away from his flower shop. Even though Raven's hood was down, she still wore her typical cloak based uniform. She held her roses as she would a baby, with folded arms and the occasional small smile as if to let them know she was still thinking about them. Goth bore typical, low budget goth wear: black pants with way too many zippers and pockets with its over sized legs enveloping pseudocombat boots, and a preweathered t-shirt featuring a wholly inaccurate rendering of Raven with the words **I save the world. Why did you drop out of college?** on the back. The real trick was that the shirt alone was worth way more than it appeared-it was the only piece of merchandising she had ever autographed.

"So how did you end up working in a flower shop anyway?", Raven asked. "It doesn't seem very..."

"Dark?", Goth challenged.

"If you want to put it that way.", Raven responded.

"A flower shop is the perfect place for a goth. People come in after struggling futiley in the effort to get The Man or Big Brother or Corporate America what it and not they want. With their token recompence, they ask me to help them impress someone they love.", Goth informed. "Then I sell them something beautiful, in corpse form, after it's been culled in the prime of its life."

"I'mmmmm...not so sure the flowers are a good idea any more, Goth.", Raven reconsidered.

"oh", Goth responded. "Don't worry. Those roses were all ready to retirement. Their best times were behind them."

2

"That's two o' Big Bob's finest you got there.", the man at the hot dog stand informed. "Five even, young sir."

Goth pulled on a length of chain and his wallet popped out of his pocket and into his hand. Taking out a five, he paid for both him and Raven.

"That wasn't neccessary, but thank you.", Raven told him.

"Oh? And how much does superheroics pay? Here I thought I was going to get rich quick in horticulture retail.", Goth joked.

Raven dribbled just a little when she tried to smile around her hot dog. Goth let a single finger catch a drip of condiment. He slowly raised the finger to her lips. Raven blinked, twice, quickly glanced at him then licked up the mustard. The two shared a small glance and a smile but shyly looked away.

Blindly, their hands found each other. Holding hands, they continued on their way.

3

"And that's Leo.", Raven said. The two were lying in the clearing of a local park. A dark barrier floated between them and the sky. The only holes in it were where the stars that made up the constellation Leo would shine through.

Goth softly placed his hand on her abdomen. Then as if to take her attention away before she could protest he quickly asked, "You're the only person I know that knows astronomy than me. Why?"

"Starfire's better than me.", Raven started. "She knows star charts like we know the capitals of states. I just ended up coming across zodiac after zodiac in magical studies."

"To better control your innate powers.", Goth said.

Raven's eyes perked up. She rested a hand over his and turned to her side. It was quite a dichotomous action for she turned away from him, yet pulled him closer. "You get it.", she said.

"Not really.", Goth replied. "I've never developed any particular skill that one would call magical. But, like any goth recently emancipated from his parents and more worried about making the rent than making friends, I've dabbled in enough Druidic research and _feng shui_ to get sort of an idea. **Azarath Metrion Zinthos** isn't exactly a catch phrase like the news says, huh?"

"Catch phrases. Like we're trying to look cool while we're risking our necks saving people.", Raven scoffed.

Raven turned back to him. His hand now held her by the small of her back. "My powers are natural." The floating black screen turned in on itself, transforming into a sphere with riged scars over its surface. "**Azarath** is a word that is not only means this planet where I was born, but the language, the people, the culture, the sprit..sort of the way we consider Japanese people to speak Japanese, act Japanese, etc. **Zinthos** is a call for control, discipline, guidance and intent. **Metrion**...doesn't really translate."

"That's why I sort of...mishandled that one time. My powers are held in check. The more intense the emotion, the more likely something bad might happen."

Goth chose that moment to pull her into a kiss. It ended shortly. Goth glanced around. "Nothing looks blown up."

Raven shrugged. "I was sort of expecting that. Maybe the next one'll be your nose bleeding."

"You know, it's getting kinda chilly out here.", Goth pointed out. "I have a small, but warm apartment.", he hinted.

"It would be kinda nice to see where you live.", Raven told him."I mean, it's kinda obvious where I live. The big giant 'T' out in the bay."

Goth smiled slightly at her joke and pulled himself upright. He offered a hand to pull Raven up but she raised herself in a stiff board like manner, as if a vampire was surprised in its coffin during the day and pivoted on its heels. The floating ball of darkness turned into a large disk on the ground. "Step on. I'll fly you."

Goth stepped on. "You know, you don't have to impress me with your powers."

"Maybe I want you to be impressed with me.", Raven suggested. She stepped on the disk in front of him. As the disk diminished in size and roze into the air, a somewhat perturbed Goth slid closer to Raven and held onto her with his arms around her waist. As the disk carried the two into the sky, they quickly became as close as they would be on motorcycle.


	7. the Sex

1

Goth's apartment seemed...

"Overeducated.", Raven assessed.

Raven half expected a regular apartment with regular furniture. The other half was in preparation of seeing the candlelight only, chains on the walls, post-punk/post-grunge evil rock posters and all manner of upholding the unholy just to make a fashion statement. What she wasn't expecting was the apartment she stood in.

While there was the typical couch against one wall TV against the other arrangement. But instead of an attempt at horrifying black decor there was a softer, womb-warm red decor. The couch was a soft velvet red. The wood of the TV cabinet was stained an amber color. The lighting was a yellow/orange color. It seemed to accept that some people just weren't the bright cheerful people the world expected them to be, but needed a place in it anyway.

What caught Raven's attention were a pair of marble busts serving as book ends on a red oak table. In the air hung a Beethoven tune.

"You have classical music playing in your apartment whether you're here or not?", asked the girl.

"Not neccessarily classical, that just happens to be the Evangelion soundtrack. I can put on the Wicked Scary soundtrack if you want.", Goth replied.

"That's alright." Raven waited for Goth to finish locking the door. As soon as she openned her mouth to speak Goth stuck his tongue in. Once she stopped being startled, she melted into him. They continued to hold on to each other tightly as their lips parted.

"Goth, I...", Raven breathed on him.

"Yes?", he asked.

"You know I want to.", Raven told him.

"That helps.", Goth smiled and pressed his lips to her neck.

Raven slapped his arm slightly. "I'm serious. I.", Raven started. Then she inhaled a little to much. "I don't want to kill you.", the girl exhaled. "If my eeemmmmm...Stop that. If my emotions or feelings get out of control, there's no telling what the shadows that live in me would do to you."

Goth looked into her eyes. "You're worth risking my life over.", he said before kissing her again. His hands guided her by the juncture of her strangely too large hips and too fit abs.

As Raven allowed herself to be moved closer and closer to the couch, her willpower began to dissappear. She was supposed to protect people, even from herself. She was supposed to keep aloof from strong feelings. She was...pulling Goth down on top of her.

Her cloak spilled out from her painting the couch, the wall, the floor blue. Her hands pulled him by his back. At this angle, the lighting put one of the first ever glimmers in Raven's opal eyes.

Goth held his weight on his elbows, cradling her head. His understandable hunger left him the very vision of careful clumsiness. He tried desperately to keep from tangling his fingers in her hair. His arms were visibly beginning to strain at holding him away from her. The one leg that hung over hers and onto the floor nearly flopped in its pursuit of purchase. As if some illusion of propriety could be maintained.

Raven pushed the leg out of the way and wrapper her legs around his thighs. With his entire weight on her, there was no pretense that what was about to happen was anything but her being deflowered. Now Goth's lean chest pressed her full breasts. She felt him rubbing against her.

Goth's fingers traced from the back of her head, down her spine until they met the resistance of her cloak across her shoulders. He broke their kiss for only a moment, to forcefully (maybe too forcefully?) pull on the clasp with his teeth. More of the cloak fell away from her and his fingers continued on their journey. Her eyes openned wide as if they could see his hands on her if they just stared wantonly enough. They found ropes of corded muscle all the way down her back until they reached her/

And that's when she saw her cloak start to lift unbiddenned around them.

"Goth.", she panted. Goth only moved his mouth to her ear. "Goth.", she whispered. "Hold onto me really tight and hold your breath. Do. Not. Breathe."

Goth buried his mouth and nose where her neck met her shoulder. Inky liquid blackness oozed from beneath her and wrapped around them both. The unnatural darkness pulled the soon to be lovers into her cloak, still interlocked.

2

The shadow on the wall above Raven's bed grew. Soon, two teenagers fell from it and onto her bed.

"Hurry.", Raven pleaded. She drug his t-shirt off him. She kicked her own boots off. She grabbed him by the buckle of his belt and dragged him higher on her to work on it. "Please.", she implored.

Goth needed no further encouragement. Both of his hands pulled on the top of her leotard. As he wrestled it down her form inch by inch, more of her was revealed. A jewel matching the one abover her eyes was inset where her collar bones met. Her shoulders had well defined indents between the individual muscles. Her biceps and triceps appeared seperated as if by ideals. Her full breasts popped into view barely hiding another jewel over her heart. Another jewel rode her solar plexus. Each individual muscle of her abdomen was raised as if a stone step to traverse a mighty river.

Even more than her gray skin this alien, ropy, musculature marked her as her father's daughter. As Raven shed her belt, Goth marvelled at her strange beauty. An inhuman mix of athleticism and voluptuousness. Without her black cloth and shadows of her cloak, her mismatched hips to nigh scrawny waist stood out as of Azerath. Goth bent her legs to put her feet at his waist. With a sweat breaking push, Raven stripped him.

"Oh. My wallet.", Goth gasped.

Raven bit his ear. "I said hurry.", she whispered, pulling him down on her again.

Goth nearly thought himself clever snagging his pants with a foot and passing them up to one of his hands. Raven pulled on his waist. A few moments fumbling and she was filled.

Raven alternated between holding his head down by his hair and passing his head to her breasts and holding his head by biting one of his ears. She hoped he liked it. She hoped his ear lobes were durable.

Because she couldn't hope that he would appreciate four blood red eyes glaring back at him. She pulled him down on top of her because she could not only feel but see the shadows begin to take shape on her cieling. Her already darkenned room moving away from dismal into the lands of terrifying. Then her possessions started to levitate on their own.

Her nails dug into his back. She panted out, "Bite me. My neck, my breasts, anything." What she didn't say was anything to make her think again, not just give in to the pleasure he embedded inside her. Goth's small nibbling on her shoulder did nothing to abedt it. She started chanting as best she could.

**"Azerath Metrion Zinthos. Azerath Metrion Zinthos.** " It worked. The books that floated randomly over her lost altitude...for a second.

Then Goth had found a certain spot inside her. Raven's concentration was a thing of the past, legend, myth even. The bed itself broke its moorings and started to float. She had planted her feet on her bed and started throwing her hips into him. She forgot to hold Goth's sight away from here.

He took in her burning red, passion filled eyes. Her still elongating rows of teeth. Her inhuman muscles working overtime to pull him inside her totally. Five jewels from forehead all the way down snaked in time. And the shadows...he could swear some stared back at him with red eyes filled with nothing but hate and contempt and promises of revenge.

Then Raven tensed. Goth pulled her as close as he could and began to hammer into her. As if she had been holding her breath, finally Raven inhaled. Nearly instantly, she began to revert to her normal version. Goth didn't stop.

"Yes. You can.", Raven nursed. "In me. Inside me. Do it.", she commanded. And Goth complied. Soon he was lying on top of her, lacking the strength to push off her.

Then she felt him restiffen. "No.", Raven said in her typical monotone.

"Huh? Wha?", Goth said. He started to stir and pull himself off of her.

"No.", Raven attempted to assure. "I meant for me. Not again. I understand you're young."

"You're young too.", Goth countered. "And beautiful."

Raven smiled with just the barest hint of sadness. "And that may be a problem. But not tonight. Lie back."

Raven pushed him up and then back. Now he was lying as he should, with his head at the head of the (relocated) bed. Raven was kneeling between his legs. She then lay down on her abdomen.

"Just try to enjoy.", she told him.

Raven then wrapped one hand and then the other around him. She carefully pulled off his artificial covering. This is the first time she actually viewed what was once inside of her. To think that this is what made her lose so much control.

Then she began to pull on him. She watched him watching her. She held him against her cheek. It was as if she was taking comfort in his strength. Then her eyes lit up with a new idea.

She crawled up on him slightly. Then she enveloped him between her breasts. "How about this?", she asked coyly.

"Look how much of a girl I am. Feel how soft I am.", she said as she started to move. "Do you see how I'm on top of you? How I'm servicing you? Don't you want to mark me? Mark me as yours. You know how. How will my face look when/"

And then he exploded on her. She was marked. She had moved back but just barely. Now she bore him on her face. She carefully wiped her eyes. Then her lips. "You won't mind if I don't add this to my diet, do you?" , she asked.

"So you don't become a literal succubus?", Goth inferred.

"Actually...yeah.", Raven confided. Then her nude body rose and made its way to her bathroom.

Goth heard water running. He took the time to look around the room he was in. An obvious full standing mirror was underneath a black drape. The bed was now set in the middle of the floor. There seemed to be plenty of shelves on the wall. But the books were thrown askew all over the room.

Raven came back into the room. She had her typical expression, but it wasn't quite as dour as before. "Hold still.", she said. **"Azerath Metrion Zinthos"** The bed lifted a few inches off the ground and settled against the wall. She then joined Goth in bed and pulled the covers over them both. Uncharacteristically, she rested her head on his chest.

"So the five jewels, only one of which show?", Goth inquired.

"Actually there's seven.", Raven told him. She took one of his hands and guided it past between her legs. "The other one is under my hair.", she continued. "There are seven _chackras_. These jewels help me guide energy to the more enlightened parts of my soul. It's to prevent things like...well, what I just did to the room from happenning."

Goth nodded. "And what about that on and off red light over there?"

"Oh fuck.", Raven cursed. It was then she noticed that hair brush was embedded in the tower's alarm system. A really quiet alarm seeping in from the other side of her sound proofed room. Just then her door imploded inward. "I'd duck if I were you.", she hinted to the boy in her bed.

Goth slipped as much beneath the sheets as he could.

Starfire and Robin burst into the room at the same time if at different heights. Cyborg followed, stomping on books and either arm converted into a sonic cannon. A green velociraptor followed him in.

"Raven, you alright?! A crazy energy reading triggered every alarm in the tower and...", Cyborg trailed off.

Robin was the first to understand what Raven's dishevled leotard on the floor meant. Starfire was the first to understand what Raven holding her sheet to her chest while her arms and shoulders were bare meant. Cybord was the first to understand what the bright (in infrared) shape under her blanket meant. The velociraptor stood perplexed. Raven rapidly decided to enlighten him.

"Everyone that wants the shards of their bones pulled through their flesh and laid in a small pile at their soon to be filled grave, by all means, stay in my room. Everyone else, out.", Raven threatened. Starfire flew out just below the cieling where the now hunched velociraptor scurried out just above the floor. Robin and Cyborg scurried away just as quickly.

Raven laid a hand on the scurrying form under her sheet. "Not you, dear."

Goth's head poked out. Her normally apathetic eyes looked at him lovingly. "Never you, dear."


	8. the Talk

Raven and Goth sat on the couch. Raven had carefully positioned her cloak around her so that her familiar face was in clear view of her friends and a single break existed for her hands to protrude. Those hands held on very tightly to one of Goth's hands. Goth had an expression of complete apathy, belied by his head turning through directions like a paranoid bird.

Across from him in their individual chairs were the rest of the Teen Titans. Jump City's favored superheroes. The saviors of Tameran. Defeaters of magic and malice alike. All staring intently at his no power having, friend deflowering, never popular in high school self.

Beast Boy knew what this talk was going to be about and had tried various plans to (actually literally) weasel his way out of it, but in the end had settled to changing into a reptile that could camoflage itself to its seat. Cyborg's hulking mass seemed to hang entirely too close to Goth's personal space. There was a glimmer of hope, as Starfire wrung her hands against her cheek and floated in happiness unknowingly a few inches above her chair. Robin quickly shot down that hope with a face he reserved for interrogations.

After all, this was an interrogation. Right?

"What do you think you're doing in our base?", Robin asked intensly.

"He was making love with me.", Raven said unflinchingly.

Goth's face remained apathetic.

"Do you know how close you were to being killed?", Robin asked dangerously.

"It's his risk to take.", Raven replied.

Robin stopped and pointed at Raven. "You're not helping."

Raven's eyes lit white. "Yes, I am.", she said her eyes returning to normal. "You're not asking questions because you want to learn something. You're trying to berate him into being easily controlled."

"Maybe the guy can speak for himself.", Cyborg suggested.

Starfire lent her own support. "Oh yes, and then we can hear the tale of love between these two people known as goths direct from the morgle's flornar."

"She's not goth.", Goth said.

The Titans' in chairs heads seem to fill the vision of all. A million actions pointing out Raven's untanned skin, dark clothing, drooping vampiristic cape and other blatantly morbid features occured. Goth remained apathetic.

"Goth is a co-culture not a happenstance.", he continued. "I'd appreciate it if my girlfriend's friends didn't misidentify her."

"So now I'm your girlfriend.", Raven teased.

"Hold on now, young lady.", Cyborg objected. "You weren't even going steady?"

"Don't worry Cyborg.", Raven said with a small smile. "I'm not an idiot. I can't afford to be. We've been going steady for months. He took the typical precaution."

The small lizard became visible momentarily when it shook its head in self pity.

"It's the atypical precations that we missed.", Raven continued.

"Yeah, she's a real hellcat.", Goth supplied.

"Look you little/", Cyborg started, getting up from his chair.

"You're a lot bigger than the bullies in high school.", Goth noticed. "I bet you can do much better bullying."

Cyborg gritted his teeth in frustration at the truth.

"As I was saying/", Robin started.

"As I was saying.", Raven cut him off. "After my room is repaired, it would be best if the security system tolerated another such outburst in a few weeks time."

"In a few weeks?", Goth asked.

"For me.", Raven answered. "I'll take care of you in the meantime."

The lizard morphed into a green parrot. This way it could tuck its head completely underneath a wing. "Not listening. La la la la la kraaack", it denied.

"Look Raven/", Robin started again.

"Then again, we could turn off the security system and just rely on Robin's overprotectiveness.", Raven said.

"I wasn't overprotective with Malchior.", Robin countered. "If I was, would we have had to put that chunk of the tower back together?"

"Touche.", Raven admitted.

Robin sat down, a bit calmer. Starfire noticed that a serious mood settled in and floated into her chair. Cyborg sat back down as well. Goth looked at Raven. "Malchior?"

Raven squeezed his hand reassuringly. "My would be. He turned out to be a dark magic practicing, lying, evil dragon from a thousand years ago."

"Oh.", Goth replied. Then he turned to Robin. "Your fears are absolutely true. With my black clothing and inpenetrable mask of emotionlessness, I'm obviously a supervillain." Goth said with a straight face.

Robin rolled his eyes. "No. no.", Goth assured. "In fact, I'm your exact counterpart and your worst...what's the term? 'Rogue' from your own personal 'rogue's gallery'."

A small chuckle came from Cyborg. Robin nearly glared at him but knew that wouldn't help.

Robin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look...Goth, is it? You're a civilian. We protect them. Even when it means from ourselves. And Raven's abilities respond badly to rampant emotions."

Robin continued before Raven could interrupt. "I trust Raven. I really do. I have always believed that she and the person she eventually became involved with would consider as much as they could and behave maturely."

"I just expected that the mature choice would be a more...chaste one. I'm sorry if I seemed inappropriately upset. On the other hand, Raven's room is now wrecked."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "So?", she asked.

"So...", Robin began. "We'll take your recommendations of your...special needs and wish you the best of luck." Robin turned to the rest of the team. "Won't we?"

"Of course we will wish friend Raven and her sex partner good luck.", Starfire asserted. "Even if she did not commit fornoi with me."

"What's 'for...", Cyborg trailed off, having become accostumed to Starfire constantly referring to what he considered Tameranian nonsense. "Whatever."

Then he turned threateningly to Goth. "If you hurt Raven crush you into paste and paint the tower a new shade of pale."

Crborg then became calm again. "Just a formality. No offense."

Goth appeared unaffected. "None taken."


	9. the Red X returns to Jinx

1

It was absolutely freezing. Her nudity was the least of her body's torments. The cord bit into her, cutting off all circulation and leaving all her limbs numb. Every muscle she had was cramped. Her jaw hurt from trying to hold up her head. Setting her head to the carpet left it hard to breathe. She gave up trying to see anything as it was not only the same room for untold hours but pitch black once the sun set.

Flashback 1

"You want me to face off against everyone in the school?", Jinx asked Brother Blood.

"It simulates facing the Justice League.", Blood justified. "Why? Is one of my first tier pupils feeling a little hopeless?", he berated.

"Just wondering how many kids you wanted me to hurt.", Jinx replied, her aura glowing as visibly pink as her eyes.

2

She faced hopelessness before. Maybe she hadn't realized it at the time, but she had. The Red X would not return in time to save her from her torture. But with no Hive to return to either she survived as was and held the benefactor that Red X was or faced a certainly short lived criminal career, juvenile hall until the government stopped experimenting on her powers and useless life as ex-con instead of feared supervillain. Even/

She felt herself being lifted by strong hands. The gloves were some synthetic, she couldn't tell what. She heard rain. Then she saw she was in the attached bathroom when a nightlight came on.

"Good girl.", was all the Red X said. He first held some of the shower's water to her lips. Then he helped limb after limb out of her bindings, massaging a soothing lotion into each one. He bodily lifted her into the shower and came in, costume and all, with her naked form. Until she could stand on her own, he held her up keeping the water out of her eyes. As soon as she could be propped up against a wall he continued rubbing her extremeties.

Jinx was surprised at how fast she recovered. In a few moments her circulation was restored. The pinprick feelings faded fast. She felt her inner body warmth return. It was like she was never in any real danger, just meant to think that. Jinx was still holding herself up with one hand on the Red X's shoulders. The other hand ran over her head slicking back her naturally pink hair. She touched her cheeks and realized her pink makeup was completely gone.

The Red X waited until she was feeling somewhat like herself. Then he rinsed her. Lathered her. Rinsed her again. Massaged shampoo into her hair. Managed not to get any in her eyes. Turned off the shower and towelled her dry. Carried her to her bed.

Then he tucked himself in with her.

Jinx was curled up in her arms. At first she didn't look at him, only lightly holding his cape where it met his shoulders. When she finally looked at his indiscernable mask, she asked one simple word. "Why?"

"Because I believe you'll be facing the worst thing you ever did soon enough.", the Red X explained. "I want you to survive it. So I'll test you. I'll guide you and your friends into be successful. And maybe, just maybe, this will all work out."

Then he noticed that the girl in his arms had fallen into a restful, peaceful sleep.


	10. Operation Piggy Bank, Back, Boom

1

Today was a new day. And life can only be lived one day at a time.

Mammoth stood at an astonishing hieght in the lobby of the house. He stretched showing clearly superhuman muscles. Then he started fixing his torso armor.

Jinx was in her bathroom, busy at her mirror. She brushed her hair back into the two tall wafts before banding them. A clown costuming make-up kit lay open on the counter. The supercriminal glared at herself in the mirror while smearing two identical marks of pink under her eyes.

Gizmo came up from the basement. He was mumbling to himself and his hands constantly wandered over his own body. "Buckle 1 buckled? Check. Power pack powered? Check. Charger charged? Check. Goggles goggled?", he continued on like an needy insecure obsessive-compulsive genius instead of a brat with too many toys.

At precisely 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, the three stood in a line from shortest to tallest in the lobby of the house. Only then did the Red X appear. Then he started his lecture.

"You have always failed.", he started. "Your previous...oppressor, Brother Blood, failed you. He taught you all you needed to be mind-controlled slaves that understood how to obey his whims. What he did not teach you was to succeed."

"You relied on his mind control. You don't have the strength of character to guide your own destiny. Until you do, there is a solution. As I have already spoken to each of you alone, I will continue to order you. You will obey what I say. When I say. Because I say."

The three snapped to attention.

2

The Teen Titans woke up lesiurely. A pleasant breakfast mixed in with voluntary opinionated arguing over tofu and sausage and sniflax and a 'suggestion' to compromise and completely ignoring everyone in favor of tea. Afterwards, the disharmony continued. One meditated on the roof top. One sat cross legged in mid air next to the one meditating on the roof top and waited for whatever it is that meditation does to happen, even though it never did. One had dreamed of an oscillation field cancellation operating unit's recieving sending echo and tried to build it, O.F.C.O.U.R.S.E. Another sifted through newspapers attempting to discern if any of the classified ads had messages written from top right to bottom left and vice versa. The last flipped through channels drooling until it occured to him that the health channel might have a special on drooling.

Then the red 'trouble in Jump City' alarm sounded. Somehow, Robin made it to the computer console across from the television before Beast Boy had turned around on the couch. Raven and Starfire seemed to simultaneously fall through open windows into the room. Cyborg was the last to arrive by the elevator.

The screen showed a map of a sector of Jump City. Four red arrows all pointed perpendicularly to a point on the map.

Robin punched one fist into the palm of the other. "X marks the spot."

3

The "Coins for the Quaint" openned at 10:00 a.m. Plenty of time for bankers to check the price of gold before heading over to trade bullion. Plenty of time for curators to double check their research on antique currency. Plenty of time for fringe religions to make sure their spells required a particular coin.

The front door, steel as it was, was torn open at precisely 9:53 a.m. Pacific time. Civilians evacuated, 9:54 a.m. Merchandise collected, 9:57 a.m. Bags filled with coins set down right beside the doorway, 9:58.

And then, right on schedule, a pool of shadow spilled onto the sidewalk from every other shadow. Raven Roth was elevated from this black, sickening goop as simply as the sky gives up a bird. The Red X nodded to her. "You're right on time.", he said. The Red X tossed her what looked like a PDA. "That map will show you where the bombs are and give you instructions on how to deactivate them. Or maybe you're willing to sacrifice about 3,498 hostages that don't even know how much danger they're in."

Raven glared at him. "There aren't that many people in there.", she scolded.

The Red X agreed. "You're right. They're in the neighborhood around us."

Raven looked at the screen of the device. It didn't display a coin depository. It did however have a group of red x marks all over its map. The shadows from her cloak coalesced into a monstrous, otherworldly entity and flew off leaving no trace of the girl that spawned her.

The Red X afforded a glance at Jinx. "You know, I never get tired of that."

Then he took in a breath. "Places people."

The Red X leaped through the air landing off to the right of the doorway. Mammoth stood between him and the door allowing his size to do the talking. Jinx stood just left of the door. And on the other side of her, antsy as anything, stood Gizmo.

The R-bird streaked into sight and skidded to a stop across from the Red X. From the oppositte direction the T-Car screached to a stop. As Robin approached the Red X, Cyborg approached Gizmo. A periguin falcon fell to the ground leaving a small green boy in front of Mammoth. Starfires eyes and hands already glew green as she floated to a couple feet above and infront of Jinx. "Teen Titan/"

"Switch!", the Red X called out. Mammoth jumped sky high and crashed into the ground that the Red X once stood on. The Red X tumbled out of his roll infront of Beast Boy. Gizmo's cyber legs extended from his left first and stabilized with the right leaving him eye to eye with Starfire. A one handed cartwheel landed Jinx in front of Cyborg. The HIVE graduates vs. the Teen Titans lineup instantly went from expected losses to unknown. Superheroes never have dealt well with the unknown.

The Red X was the first in motion. A fanciful kata was performed with Beast Boy serving as audience. Beast Boy's head followed the high flips and spinning kicks and whatever that move was. When the Red X was finished Beast Boy nodded in appreciation of phenomenal skill. Then he transformed into a Tyrannasoar, roaring like a whole pride of lions and baring foot long razar sharp teeth. Beast Boy was pleased at winning the intimidation contest. Then the Red X pointed down. Just as the Teen Titan looked down he saw the planted red, x-shaped blast coming up at him. As Beast Boy was knocked senseless he reverted to his default shape. "I'm done!", the Red X called out.

A millisecond behind the Red X was Mammoth. The behemoth punched through the space Robin should have been in and into the asphault. Robin swung from a rope around the lamppost just ahead of the chunk of street thrown at him. The boy wonder released his hold just as the street light collapsed under Mammoth's assualt. The sidewalk, cars, a fire hydrant...all became instnat casualties of Mammoth's pursuit.

"You know _Stone_,", Jinx started. "With all that cybernetic strength, armored invulnerability and simply massive...weaponry I'm more than a little intimidated."

"So you're going to surrender peacefully?", Cyborg asked.

Jinx exhaled noticably. "No, silly. I'm going todistract you with a double entondre so I can get close enough to touch you." With one hand glowing pink, the girl pulled on a barely noticablebolt under Cyborg's chest armor. Apparently, that bolt just happenned to hold that side of his armor and his arm to his torso. While Cyborg tried to piece himself back together, Jinx called out "Same here!".

Mammoth continued to chase Robin. The two led a madcap trail on the store fronts, across the street and through the air. The behemoth growled and roared more and more angrily as Robin dodged claw swipes, pieces of cars, chunks of asphalt andelectrical lines that just a second ago were attatched safely to things that wouldn't die from their glowing blue arks.

Gizmo's exoskeleton raised him up to Starfire's level. "Well, look at the goodies!", the dimunitive boy exclaimed.

"My goodies are not for viewing by the likes of you.", Starfire stated curtly. She then fired multiple energy blasts from multiple sources at Gizmo.

The forelegs of his armor collapsed, rolling Gizmo under Starfire and her starbolts. As soon as Gizmo was ground level and behind her, he fired missiles in an arc into the sky and down on Starfire.Starfire dodged by going to ground level and charging Gizmo.

The alien then collided with two yellow rays from weapons mounted on Gizmo's shoulders. This was followed by the Red X's foot across her face at blurring speed. That wasaccompanied by two sweeping arcs of pink energy from Jinx. One of the jinxes allowed the Red X to connect in a spot that actually stunned Starfire for over a millisecond. The other allowed her boot to lose traction on the ground while she was too dazed to figure which direction to fly in.

Starfire landed prone on the ground. Gizmo tapped the button that was glowing the whole time on his exoskeleton's controller. A spidery, metal tentacled device jumped off of Gizmo and onto Starfire. (A/N:Yes, a metal tentacled device jumped on an alien, scantily clad, anime-styleprincess. I'm not going there though.). Once the device had enveloped the girl, its hub started to glow.

"Cease fire!", the Red X called out. "Phase 3! Cease fire!" Mammoth responded just as Robin realized the trouble Starfire was in. Mammoth leaped through the air just as the boy's bo staff cut through the smoke that several bomb disks had created in the spot that Mammoth was just in.

Nearly before the Red X, Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth were huddled over the now struggling Starfire the group of bad guys were being charged from all sides. A repieced togther Cyborg came from one side with a sonic cannon powering up. A green raptor sprinted toward them. Robin swung from a rope connected to one of the gargoyles of the neighboring buildings.

Jinx looked into Starfire's eyes with a look of complete sincerity. "Please, please stop struggling before you kill us all, including your friends." Then she was forced to use her powers in a most improbable dodge as the green beams from Starfire's eyes told what the captive thought of that.

The Red X spoke to the other Teen Titans. "If you don't listen to me Starfire dies. Maybe all of us too."

The Titans slowed carefully. The still were in full combat mode.

"We have no intention of killing anyone. Or taking anyone captive."

"Then let her go!", yelled Robin.

The Red X glared at him. "In fact, Boy Wonder, that is exactly what we intend to do. However, you will notice the little matter of the ticking time bomb at the center of the tentacles. I will leave instructions to disarm it before it detonates that will take at least both you and Cyborg. It will take 2 minutes 38 seconds for us to get away with are ill, even if cleverly, gotten gains. It'll take 3 minutes 34 seconds for you to disarm the bomb. It's going to blow in somewhat less than four minutes-provided Starfire doesn't try to rip out of it with her strength or blast it."

Starfire immediately stopped pulling against the tentacles.

Robin glared back at the Red X. "So you're still just a greedy little theif."

"Just looking out for number one.", the Red X replied. But instead of the arrogant thumbs-up pointed toward himself, he gestured with a nearly affectionate one-armed hug of Jinx.

Robin whipped out four birdarangs, two in each hand."I can still take all of you down in less than 7 seconds."

Jinx formed a pink version of the team protecting barrier that Raven usually did. Everyone knew that she couldn't physically stop the objects, just that a sudden gust would probably knock them off course as soon as they touched the pink energy.

"We're runnin' out of time, Rob!", Cyborg stressed.

Robin's eyes narrowed to slits. "Fine."

As all of the criminals jumped over them, a PDA much like the one given Raven dropped to the ground in front of Starfire. Robin and Cyborg poured over the instructions while their opponents collected their bags of loot and took off.

"Uh, should I go after them?", Beast Boy asked.

"Says here, to get the cover off we have to turn some bolts that we'd have to be ant size to turn.", Cyborg declared.

"Guess that answers that.", Beast Boy stated. He then grabbed one of Robin's fingers. Upon shifting into an ant, he stood on top of that gloved finger.

After a hectic operation andseveral near explosions, the device fell away from Starfire. At that moment Raven reappeared.

"Where the hell were you!", a very cross Robin demanded.

Raven raised an eyebrow. In tandem, that side of her cloak raised. Out fell a score of explosives and a matching personal data assistant.

"Oh.", Robin stated.


	11. Hype

1 

The resultant war became almost...a pattern.

Flashback 1

"They're regrouping on our right flank!", the Red X warned. Raven's dark manifestation, Starfire and Beast Boy's eagle form burned gray streaks in the air. The three cascaded into a tight formation charging the criminals from the right. A single bright pink bolt collided with Beast Boy. Instantly molting, he immediately blinded both Raven and Starfire.

2

Passion was the order of the day. Passions on the field.

Flashback 2

"draaAAAAUGH!", Mammoth screamed. His muscles threatened to burst his skin as his claws and teeth sunk into the T-Car. Inside, Cyborg prayed that his baby would forgive him and pressed the button to dump experimental fuel additive directly into the gas supply.

3

Passions in their beds.

Flashback 3

The salty drops fell from his face onto hers. He tried to control his breathing...and failed miserably. He tried to hold back. Then he let loose.

Beast Boy wailed opennly, allowing his tears to wash over Terra's photograph.

4

Passions in their training.

Flashback 4

Jinx wrestled in futility against the red x-shaped tapes that held her hands around the posts of her bed. She could see her complete form in the mirror. As usual she was nude.

The Red X slid the plastic device over her exposed skin. "Don't worry. I won't kill. If I killed you, you wouldn't learn nothin'."

5

Passions over graves.

Flashback 5

An "R" and a "G" were carved into the concrete of a moseleum above each other next to "OTH". Raven Roth held Goth's head in her hands as she tried to coax his tongue into her mouth. Goth held her suspended against the moseleum, one armed around her torso and the other holding her butt. When he pressed against her she wrapped legs around him, then her cloak to encourage him to reach climax without her.

6

Robin realized the key to ending it. So he announced his plan to end the crime spree.

7

The Red X realized the key to ending it. So he announced his plan to continue the crime spree.

8

Starfire celebrated the gift of such a brilliant boy in her life with glee.

9

Jinx accepted the burden of keeping such a brilliant boy in her life with solemn duty.

10

Cyborg started calling out "Booyah!" in different tones.

11

Gizmo started on a ten minute euphamism for the Teen Titans. "Snot-bugglin', cream garglin'..."

12

Beast Boy continued in his apparently happy go luck way.

13

Mammoth enojoyed the expectation of another victory.

14

And Raven gave no reaction. Her emotions still needed to be carefully guarded. With her being as "loose" as she allowed herself with Goth, her control became all the more tenuous. It took a lot more effort to let the little moments of comfort from being with her friends or slip of humor from becoming an outburst of destructive chaos.

If something really big actually set her off in this condition...there's no telling what would happen.


	12. the End of the War

The prize-one Sambonian Ruby, the only one of its kind. It was waiting to be delivered to the fence the Red X had set up for it.

The Ruby laid exposed on the street behind the Red X. In front of him stood Jinx. In front of her stood Mammoth. In front of floated Gizmo. He stared down five charging Teen Titans.

"Teen Titans. GO!", Robin called out.

Cyborg fired his sonic cannon.

Gizmo tossed a device out in front of him. Before the sonic blast hit him, the device had set itself into a tripod shape. It generated an equal and opposite blast that cancelled Cyborg's into nothing.

Beast Boy's jaguar form raced right by him. As soon as he was past the tyke, Beast Boy shifted into a charging Triceratops.

Mammoth wrapped his hands around Beast Boy's top horns. Instead of pitting his strength against the now dinosaur, the trained Mammoth wrestled Beast Boy off course. The two crashed into the parked cars on the side of the road.

Jinx was looking at the business end of the other three Titans. Robin swung past her blasts. Starfire blasted her blast with a starbolt, and the resulting explosion nearly blinded them all. With Raven, Jinx stuck out her tongue and managed to lick her leg in passing.

Raven nearly fell out of the air. When she turned to glare at Jinx, the dark one's vision was filled with the criminals fist.

The Red X saw all of this. Mammoth probably couldn't handle Beast Boy if Beast Boy bothered to get truly creative. It was a fact that Gizmo could barely keep Cyborg busy. But he had his hands full anyway.

Starfire nearly ran him over like a train hitting a chicken. The Red X hopped over her to throw sharpenned xs at Robin. Robin's staff blocked all of them.

His staff continued through the space the Red X's head had occupied a moment ago. The Red X ripped himself out of his ducking position to dodge Starfire's flying uppercut. Robin blocked the Red X's swung foot with the staff. The Red X ripped his foot out of the way of another starbolt.

This continued on. Robin was no where near as hard pressed with starbolts raining around him. Starfire could fire at will, trusting her love to guide her aim. The Red X was fast, deadly, armed and facing the greatest martial artist his age and the alien energy of that martial artist's girlfriend. Dragging Robin's staff in the way of a starbolt didn't really help his situation. Sending red xs in an attempt to ensnare Starfire only resulted in taking to many blows from Robin. Concentrating on one or the other only openned him to the attacks of the other. Splitting his concentration didn't get the Red X closer to helping his flailing comrades.

This was going to be decided on who made the first mistake. Robin had made one since coming to Jump City-inventing the Red X. The Red X had been captured before, underestimated Robin before, lost the synthomium powered belt, etc. The outcome was inevitable.

Robin had managed to get his hands on the Red X's mask. He kicked with both feet, seperating the criminal and his identity's protection. The Red X tried to compensate with his hands but it was too late.

Gizmo laid skip marks in mid-air, screaching to a stop. Cyborg's jaw dropped. Mammoth glared in the direction of the Red X. Beast Boy slowly shook his head in disbelief. Starfire sunk to the grown, tears threatening to break from her eyes. Robin's fingers sunk deep into the mask he held.

Raven's response was the worst of all. Her breathing became ragged. Her ribs moved visibly as she dry heaved. "No...no...", she chanted.

Goth's eyes stared back at hers from where the hateful criminal the Red X stood a moment ago.

"Looked like I done fucked yo' man, bitch!", Jinx yelled. SLAP! a pink energy encased hand decreed.

So maybe Jinx's reaction WAS the worst. But Raven Roth's reaction WILL be. 


	13. Huh?

Flashback to Chapter 5

The Red X...cuddled with Terra's statue. With his hands all over her and his head on her shoulder, he proceeded to whisper his plan to her.

"I've realized for a long time now that so-called 'goodness' is an illusion projected by those in power.", the voice dangerously similar to Robin's said.

"Take the Teen Titans.

"Cyborg spends how many resources on ever increasing mechanical parts and shares how much with the medical community? I don't exactly see regular civilians out of their wheel chairs. His innate drive for competition keeps him from being helpful rather than a show-off.

"Beast Boy does his part because he has no other. If you gave him a moped, a blonde,enough channelsand a steady source of tofu he'd be completely lazy.

"Starfire does exactly what her emotions tell her. The same could be said about every easily threatened pedophile, hallucinating serial killer and power mad politician. I feel angry let me stab an old lady, I mean, throw a starbolt!

"Robin isn't even a person any more. Under training with **_THE BATMAN_**, how could he be. He's a good little automoton that'll do absolutely anything to destroy an enemy. Torture, terrorism-even creating a fine looking suit to go super-villaining in.

"And Raven. So very powerful that she scares herself. Hiding away from the world that would tear her to pieces if it knew the truth. Raven isn't a Titan because she somehow cares about people. Raven isn't a compassionate person. Raven holes herself away because she's afraid of what the rest of Earth would do once they stop seeing "Raven, the sorceress of Teen Titans" and recognize her as the daughter of Trigon, herald of the demon.

"But even if she did cut loose with all her rage, all her power, all her innate evil-she'd still fool herself into believing she's worth something. Believing that she deserves to be happy. Despite being dark when happy people are bright. Despite being something completely inhumane. Inhuman. Demonic. Poisounous to freedom, virtue, and comfort.

"And I'm going to prove it."

In the empty cave, except for Terra and himself, the Red X pulled his mask off. Revealed to her, if she could still percieve in the stone form she had become, was Goth. Goth continued.

"I'm going to provide for our dear Raven Roth someone who loves her for her. A life without reprimand or a need for the title of 'superhero'. Teens in love.

"Of course, all she'll have to do is believe she deserves it and justify it. Despite the fact that I will make her blow up. Despite the fact that she will be faced with her own innate nature of murder anddestruction. And she will. Raven, the most disciplined of the Teen Titans-even more than Robin the detective and Cyborg the scientist, will cast all pretexts and pretences aside. She'll forgive my villainy no matter how deeply I hurt any of her so-called friends. She'll forgive herself for the pain she will put on the world.Even when I tell her I endangered the entire planet by having her lose control as much as she did by losing control."

"And the greatest amongst the Teen Titans, who never met a villain that they liked, who never stop until the job gets done, are without doubt will completelysurrender her hero status for some boy-me.

"And we'll live happily ever after."


	14. the Loss of Starfire

Referring to Raven as a sentient creature at this point would be folly. Determining what she intended is for minds less...human than this author's. Therefore, all events until such a time where Raven recovers (if she recovers) will be referred to by their distance from the epicenter of this disaster.

ahem

Inches From Epicenter

Jinx' powers barely had time to wrap around her as the monster Raven had become slapped her away. Jinx somehow was not shredded as easily as the air the claws had passed through. The kinetic force did bolt her through a window in a neighboring building a few stories up.

Feet From Epicenter

"Oh no.", Robin whispered. He had tried to hold it in, as he had to be the voice of calm in this disaster. But he knew what this meant. For Raven had told him once.

Flashback 1

"I don't want to kill you.", Raven said.

Robin's eyebrows hovered in puzzlement. "Uh, I don't want to kill you either?", he offered.

Raven shook her head. "I'm serious. What I mean is that there may come a day where that is a question. Some supervillain may take my total power to bring down. I might be exposed to some psychadelic. Whatever the reason, I may stop being the person you know as Raven. Then I will be the beast prophesized as the doom of worlds."

Promise me you'll save everyone you can."

Robin saw in her eyes that she meant what she said from the bottom of her heart. "Alright. I promise I won't let you kill anyone."

"Thank you.", Raven told him. "But I also need you to promise that you'll kill me/"

"What!", Robin exclaimed.

"If the only way to save the universe is to kill me then so be it!", Raven countered. "If I can't be stopped, if the only way to save all existance is to sacrifice all hope of my becoming me again then do it."

Robin glared at her.

"Promise me!", Raven yelled.

Feet From Epicenter

"Teen Titans!", Robin yelled. "Evacuate every civilian in the area!"

Robin rolled out the way as the shadowy, alien, demonic beast that was once a member of his team half-slithered half-floated half-stomped its way toward the window Jinx crashed through. He then looked up to check on his team and the situation.

Beast Boy stopped biting his nails through his gloves, shaking himself out of his panic. With intense concentration, Beast Boy managed to transform himself into a Chyrsilas Hunter having witnessed one attack Starfire. The green alien monster then raced up the side of the afflicted building and started dragging civilians out by the claw full.

Cyborg picked his jaw off the ground and snapped it back in place-literally. He then glanced around and found a dump truck abandoned once the fight began. Garbage went flying as he dumped it while driving it next to the building in an attempt to catch all the people Beast Boy was 'saving'.

Robin caught sight of four things simultaneously. Goth (as now thought of Red X as) was making his escape. Gizmo's exhaust trails led into the sky. Mammoth was fleeing at a full sprint. And Starfire appeared to be ready to take off after Raven. One of these four demanded his immediate attention.

"Starfire, don't do it.", Robin called out as he raced to her.

"What should I not do?", Starfire asked with a mild annoyance. "Help friend Raven? Stop the criminal that has hurt her so? Why would you tell me not do these things? Are you one of the Gizmo's holograms?"

"No, I'm real Starfire.", Robin pleaded. "You just gotta believe me. Help with the evacuation. Help save as many people as you can. Don't go after Raven."

"If I get to her before she harms anyone, then your e-vac-u-a-tion is unneccessary-is it not?", Starfire said while floating into the air.

"I don't want you killed!", Robin screamed at her.

Glowing green eyese glared down at him. "I can take care of myself.", the girl said.

"Don't go! That is an order!", Robin told her.

The Tameranean blew him off.

At The Window Of The Floor Of The Epicenter

Starfire screeched to a halt. She was looking through an undamaged window. Hundreds of glowing red eyes, thirsty for all colors of blood, looked back.

Before she could move, the window crashed. A tsunami of tenebrous, viscious...(shadow demons? Fruedian machinations made real through infernal power? Constructs? Yes, constructs.) constructs poured out the window and onto the space princess. The pillar of blackness, only lit by the red glows peppering it, grew without hesitance toward the sky. It carried Starfire with it.

Miles Above Epicenter

Starfire swung madly at the beings that accosted her. She screamed her war cry until the atmosphere got too thin to carry it. Her starbolts timed in concert with her emotion driven strength. She was a kicking, punching, yelling, energy wielding violence factory.

She bled more than she ever had before. She didn't carry a mark from her battle for empress. She had been shot by beams generated by future weaponry before. Only now did she try to ignore the trickle she felt seeping into her boot. Only now did she whip her head to clear her sight.Only now did her gauntlets rip.

Only now did she worry. Was boy friend Robin right to order her not to engage this mass of evil? She had never run into an Earthbound criminal that loved freedom or feared jail more than she sought justice-but could what Raven had become hate existance more than Starfire wanted to save her friend? Would her friends last memory of her be one of valor in battle or betrayal by desertion?

Seconds later, re-entry joined the howl as the constructs ripped her downward.

Outside The Building Containing The Epicenter

Robin waved his hands to signal Cyborg to drive. Cyborg glared at him as if to say he had yet to get everyone. Then he looked up and saw that the black streak was racing back to the ground. He stepped on the accelerator with little hesitation then.

The green Chrysalis Hunter saw the same sight. It jumped off the building with civilians clinging to it. The creature then raced off as fast as it could without dropping anyone.

The black plasmic column of hate slammed Starfire into the street well before Robin was at anywhere a safe distance. When the dust cleared, de-cel lines and bent light poles led a trail to a bruised Robin.

Still, he ran to the crater that had been dug into the middle of the street. As the shadow monsters receeded into the building, Starfire was revealed. Enough of her clothing remained to preserve her modesty if not her health. Hopefully enough of her blood too. She was clearly unconcious with her eyes half open and their energy blinking like strobe lights and her pretensal, purple tongue still stuck to her neck protector by upper atmospheric frost. Robin thought that he remembered her legs bending like that once, but he wasn't exactly sure.

Either way, Starfire was no longer going to help them out of this.


	15. Jinx' Fight

Epicenter

On the one hand, Jinx was pinned down. Jinx was hiding in what was once a cubicle farm for some pencil pushing company on the floor she was slapped into by whatever Raven had become. It was somehow night as far as she could tell, or at least it was night right here. The shadow constructs didn't so much see or hear or even smell her as much as they sensed her evil, her fear-and it didn't help that she wasn't exactly a brave angel. She figured the beast herself had followed her from the large boom she heard earlier, but spotting her was an entirely different story. And who knew what power that creature had besides whatever force transformed her to kill Jinx.

Oh the other hand. Jinx had been trained through brainwashing by a madman's academy for over achieving supervillains. The Red X had systematically tortured her in an effort to make absolute hoplessness and humiliating pains a matter of course. Why had he done that, she wondered still.

Popping up over a cubicle wall, Jinx pointed her fingers like delicate pistols. Instead of lead, the fired the same glowing pink energy that poured from her eyes and made her hair dance as if she was in a tornado. The merest grazes turned the red eyed monsters back into pools of liquid darkness. Apparently, while having more than their fair share of vengance, the constructs were not held together by the amount of order that the faintest of Raven's manifestations were usually maintained. As a chaos controller, it was if her ability was hand selected to this situation.

In her self congradulation, the other side of the cubicle was torn away by a particularly foul shade. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she fired point blank at the shadowy menace. "What, you got somethin' you wanna say to me!", she screamed as pink energy ripped through the thing. "What, you wanna piece of this!", she called to the next to fall. "Onna count o' cause you look like you got somethin' you wanna say to me!", again blasting away into the darkness. "You look like you want some o' this here!" They were falling as easily as if they were just the distraction.

Oh no.

They were just the distraction.

In understanding probability to the point that one could wield pink, energetic arks of it one comes to a state of enlightenment dangerously close to precognition. And in looking at her circumstances, her gut told her to back flip. Now. Onto what, she didn't know. But that saved her life.

Unfortunately, she vaulted directly onto the back of what Raven had become. The being's teeth embedded into the floor from its lunge at Jinx. Jinx's visible aura brightened as reality slightly shifted to accomodate her remaining in place on the half-demon. The thing ripped the steel beam the floor was resting on out of the building and spit it across the office.

The thing rolled onto it's left shoulder, smashing cubicles. Jinx rolled in place, bouncing along this beast's right arm. The left claw slashed at her, but she managed to turn that roll into a cart wheel onto the left arm. When the beast returned to its upright position, Jinx was nigh-miraculously still on its back.

Jinx fired bolt after bolt into the thing. At random the purple fur grew, itches were scratched and blood sweat poured. "AAAAH!", Jinx screamed. She continued screaming. The pink blasts continued to shine away at the beast.

The monster flipped like a pancake and stuck to the cieling. Jinx fell to the floor like a bomb from a plane. When she looked up into the darkness only lit by her own aura, she saw that the being hadn't dug its claws into the ceiling. It hadn't formed bands of blakness to harness itself in place. It was resting up to the ceiling in an impossible, anti-gravity sort of way-the way the shadows of blades of a fan rest on a ceiling.

Then its front most part lunged at Jinx while the rest of it braced itself against the ceiling. Jinx pirouetted around the left claw only to be forced to vault over the right. Two more shadows tore at her from the nocturnal mass that surrounded her only to be disintegrated by Jinx' blasts. The teeth of the true monster nearly took her head, but Jinx managed to fall to her back just as the bite was made. Jinx repeatedly, hastily kicked at the exposed throat.

Hope?

Of course not. Jinx' physical attack might as well have been an infant squeezing the finger of a raging werewolf. And not one of those cheep movie werewolves, that have to reform after being glued to lit dynamite, either. The kind that creep undiscoverd in the true wilderness of the Outback or Pangea, that claw the stars from the sky to bequeth to its cubs, the kind that make vampires hypnotize mortals to forge titanium coffins. The kick didn't even further this monsters anger. The fact that Jinx had the audacity to try to avoid the agony coming to her did agitate the monster.

The thing howled with the anger of a woman scorned, with the joy of a demon no longer held back and sorrow of the conscience of a miserable girl who knows she unjustly damning a dimension. It flickered as shadows are apt to do and reappeared, sinking its weight into the damaged floor as a demon might. Jinx barely had time to keep half an eye on it as she constantly threw arks of pink at the four eyed shadow rats, ravenous infernal ravens and other more twisted monstrousities.

Jinx was barely aware as it charged. The very mortal girl improbably managed to place her hands on the thing's teeth as its jaws snapped up and down. Jinx was literally knocked out of her boots as the rushing jaws thrust her down one of the aisles of the cubicle farm. The radiant shadows cheered their creator as Jinx was blasted through the office. The rush ended when Jinx was crushed against a wall, pushing with all her might not to be eaten alive and trying to drag a frustrated reality kicking and screaming into such a state where Jinx' survival was somehow not impossible.

The forward claws of the beast came for her. Jinx kicked both her shoeless feet from the floor into a wall braced split, holding the demonic sword hands at bay for just anothe rmoment. A red eyed, tentacle tongued, impish looking thing popped up at her crotch as if to rape. Twin pink beams from Jinx' eyes taught it the only lesson it would ever learn.

"I. Swore. I'd. Never. Do. This.", Jinx gasped out. But her strength couldn't keep up forever. She was becoming more and more scared of trying to keep her powers ahead of this monster. There was an option. An experimental, untried, hypothetical way of escape. It probably wouldn't work. But probably was what Jinx said it was.

Flashback 1

Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo sat next to each other in a college style lecture hall. Brother Blood had shipped in yet another supervillain to lecture on his area of expertise. Some egghead in dark blue, obviously robotic suit was going on and on about how ordinary (i.e. not mad) scientists didn't appreciate the true ability of cryogenics. "The true art of cyrogenics exists at the subatomic level, in the FROZEN moments between molecular interaction." the pale man said.

Jinx had scribbled out oa note to Gizmo. Gizmo laughed at the caption, "I'm an egghead, ask me how."

"Jinx, is it?", the egghead asked. "Did you know that an entities subparticular string's temperature is a reflection of its vibration? And that its vibration governs many different things-from the light it admits to where its highest probability of location within our universe?"

Gizmo peaked up. "You mean if you had a way to change probability you could change where and object existed?" Mammoth scratched his head. Jinx yawned.

The egghead nodded. "At least I managed to entICE someone.", he encouraged.

Gizmo slapped Jinx across the shoulder. "You need to listen up. You might be able to actually teleport you cootie-catching rag humper!", he advised.

Jinx raised a single eyebrow and pulled a nail file out of nowhere. She started filing just to show her apathy. "I swear right here and now, I'd never try anything like that."

Epicenter

Fortunately, villains lie. Jinx' aura brightened. It grew so much, human eyes wouldn't be able to see her form. And then all went dark.


	16. Reclamation

Outside Epicenterville

"Beast Boy!", Robin yelled. The floor in question of the office building was bubbling outward with glowing blackness and infernal ooze. And he had no idea where what was left of his team was.

A green gopher poked his head out of a storm drain. Morphing back, Beast Boy landed on the street. Robin glared at him. "I wasn't hiding!", Beast Boy asserted. "The sewers were the only way back that didn't have debris clogging it."

Robin snorted. "Cyborg!", he called out.

"Yeah, yelling's gonna make me get over this heap faster!", came Cyborg's faint reply. After a moment, Cyborg climbed over the piece of street that was displaced from the crater that Starfire occupied.

"Where's Star'?", Cyborg asked.

"She's not going to...be able to help.", Robin said while trying to keep the sadness out of his voice.

"What!", exclaimed Beast Boy.

"If she's hurt that bad, we gotta go help her.", Cyborg stated.

"No!", Robin commanded. "Raven's our top priority. With what she did to Starfire, imagine what's going to happen to this city-this planet-if we don't stop her now. This isn't a time where the targets escape and we catch them the next time they try something. We have to stop Raven now."

"But how?", Cyborg asked. "Starfire and Raven are our heavy hitters. You and me are more idea men when it gets to this level. And Beast Boy's more of a distraction at this point."

Beast Boy was about to take offense until desks hidden in clouds of glowing black energy creatures started floating out of the building and disintegrating under thier claws."Then I guess I better change into something that gets some notice.", Beast Boy suggested. In an instant, a green Tyrannosaur was standing next to the other surviving team mates.

Cyborg showed his agreement by changing his arm into a sonic cannon.

Robin nodded. Drawing three birdarangs he shouted, "Teen TItans! Go!"

On the way to the Epicenter

Robin remembered the acrobatics he was performing now, like the shadow constructs were forcing him through some sort of lethal deja-vu. Even one of them took the form of his mentor...as criminals feared him. The glare told him what words could not. He wasn't hero material. He was a failure waiting to happen. Others' victims would only blame him for his failure. He'd never be good enough to the Batman.

Cyborg felt as if he couldn't breathe. It was the accident all over again. His heart flipping a coin-heads it explodes, tails it stops. Air coming in and out of his lungs through violence made holes. The machines plugged into him keeping him from flatlining, not alive. He'll never be alive again. He'll never compete again. Undead would be better than the hospital bed.

Beast Boy saw only a reflection of himself in the shadows. That self. Not the kid who'll never grow up. Not the avid vegitarian. Not even the back against the wall, one for all hero. But the inner beast. Its fangs extended. Its claws scraping. Its ears, eyes, nose, even the prickly fur itching out for a victim.

Epicenter

The three boys would never speak of how they got to Raven. Beast Boy would claim never to remember, but no longer had doubts on why he was bald in the future. Robin also would state he didn't remember, but understood why the persona of Nightwing could be so much more affective than Robin. Cyborg's robotic brain couldn't actually go temporarily insane and suppress its memory for its own good, so he had to shut down a part of it and delete the file without ever examining it ever again-just like after Raven had captured him when she was frightened by Wicked Scary only a hundred times more. Never the less, he didn't hesitate to make his repairs afterward in blissful ignorance.

But they had made it to the monster. A circle of the shadow constructs surrounded her and the three boys. Robin's titanium weave cape was haggard, his kevlar uniform ripped to shreds, and more than most of his blood held inside by some very creative field medicine. Beast Boy's bleeding alligator form showed that while an alligator could regrow its tale, it would take some time. Cyborg was holding his detached left arm in his right, claw and teeth and beak and horn marrings scarring the armor that remained in place. And they realized they were lucky.

"We wouldn't have made it this far if you didn't want us to, Raven.", Robin told the beast before him. The shadow constructed, red eyed ravens in the circle of creatures argued with him all at once with jagged cawing. "I can reason with/"

"No you can't, Robin.", Beast Boy told him. "She's no longer human enough to reason with."

Then Beast Boy morphed into the animal Raven had become, only green. The infernal creature glared at her green counterpart, which glared back at her. She raised a hand to claw her duplicate, but the duplicate raised its claw in mirror image of her. She startled Robin and Cyborg with a quick dash to the right. Beast Boy matched her. And her dodge to the left.

The office building shook with a split second of demonic laughter. Then, as if waved away by magic wand, the shadow constructs dissappeared. The laughter instantly changed to anguished crying. The demon half of the monster started shifting away to reveal the human form underneath. Beast Boy changed with her until the form was too human, then fell into his human form exhausted.

Raven had reverted into a six or seven foot tall or long female something. Her claws were still inches in length. Her teeth were still well beyond knife points. Her previous form had destroyed her clothing, so her ropy muscles were before the world to see. A long mane of purple hair cascaded down her shoulders and back. And while her four eyes were still red with untold demonic rage, the brow that bore them had a pleading expression. In a raspy, grating voice Raven pleaded."Please.", she huffed. "Take me home."

Robin nodded. He picked up a long stretch of the office' carpet that had been ripped from the floor. The boy wrapped what he could around her. "Cyborg, get the T-car. Beast Boy, pick up Starfire. The med lab has a long night ahead of us.", he said as a piece of the flesh glued to his face threatened to give way. 


	17. Farewell to the Red X

When Goth, dressed as the Red X without the mask, arrived at the suburban house Gizmo and Mammoth were already there. They were not happy.

"Time for answers little man.", Mammoth stated solemnly.

"Time for a lot more than that.", Gizmo continued. "What the razzle-rumpin' bean-brained thing do you think you're doing? Trying to have a secret identity like some type of superhero? What did '_I fucked yo man_' mean? Who the hell are you anyway?"

The boy queitly walked past them up to his room. The two criminals ran after him. Mammoth nearly popped the door off the hinges trying to fit into the room. "He's not through talking to you.", the giant said.

The room was nearly identical to Jinx' except that there were various red, x-shaped things lying around. Goth started throwing these trinkets over to the closet. Gizmo started up again. "Don't you think someone bigger than the Teen Tits-N-A are gonna look into this? You saw what Raven did! And where the hell is Jinx?"

Goth walked calmly over to the closet. From the closet, he pulled forth a bag for all the various paraphenalia he collected from around his room. He also stuffed another Red X suit into the bag, except for the mask. He put on the mask.

The Red X turned to the two. "Jinx will be arriving shortly.", the voice earily similar to Robin's replied. "She'll need some juice. I'll go get her some." And with that, the Red X made his way to the kitchen.

The other two followed him. "As for who I am, that won't matter to you. I'm just about through being the Red X. and so my use for you draws to a close."

The Red X went up to Jinx' room with the others in tow. "Don't worry Gizmo. I put the house in Mammoth's real name, as I figured you had constantly running internet robots checking for all references to your name but only your name." The Red X stopped to look him in the eye. "You don't seem to be an individual all that sympathetic to your team mates."

"With my taking all that I brought to be the Red X, you won't have any evidence to link the Red X to me. In fact, any authorities that may see your basement laboratory with its tools to make Red X gear may just think the Red X is one of your own constructs."

Gizmo protested. "The Titans know who you are."

"Why don't you let me take care of that. You're going to have your hands full taking care of Jinx."

And with that the Red X openned the door to Jinx' room. Inside, still in a pink afterglow, was a naked Jinx. She was blinking as if the moisture on her eyes had completely dissapear and her tear ducts were trying to make up for it. Even the bands that held her hair and the more split ended of her hair were gone. Her skin looked like it had recieved a full body treatment, designed to cleanse dead skin cells.

"That pain in your gut is from a completely empty stomach.", the Red X told her. "You'll have to be rehabilitated like a victim of starvation but not malnutrition. Here, drink this."

Jinx gulped at the juice the Red X handed her. When she was able to speak, she did so weakly. "You knew didn't you? That you..." She cleared her throat, then gulped down more juice. "You knew you'd be caught. As the Red X, I mean. You knew I'd do that to Raven."

"That's why you raped me. Tortured me. Because you knew what she would try to do to me. And it was horrible. The things...a child shouldn't see those things. And now I know I'm just a child. The eyes, the claws. If you hadn't...desensitized? Brainwashed me into being accepting of humilation and pain and agony and sorrow and fear..."

"We were just tools for you. Me and Gizmo and Mammoth. We were just means for you to be all gung-ho supervillain and take them in a fight. You had Raven doing this to me in mind all along. You were counting on my powers."

Then Jinx' eyes focused on the Red X. "But why?"

The Red X shrugged. "For true love. Kicks. Truth, justice and the American way. Does it matter? Honestly? Your group were bumbling idiots wasting your talents on failure. Sure, I made you earn it, but now you've had a success or two and enough resources to go at it again. You 'people' are out of my life and I'm out of yours. So it doesn't really matter what I thought of you. Good bye."

Gizmo and Mammoth nearly lost their tempers right there. The Red X turned to them. "I retrained you. I've already subdued you, Mammoth. And as for Gizmo, I rebuilt this zynothium powered belt myself. And as for Jinx.", he just gestured to her prone and limp form on the ground with barely enough strength to gorge herself on mere juice.

"You know you're going to fear a healthy Jinx' reaction to you not helping her to attack me. I know you fear attacking me. My leaving gives you a way out of attacking me and not helping her. And you're going to take it." With that, the Red X left the room. Before he was out of the house, he heard the door to Jinx' room slam him out of their lives forever.


	18. Wounded

1

This is not a hospice. Or at least Robin kept telling himself.

Beast Boy was recognizable because he was green. His wounds didn't recuperate from being shifted, they just shifted. He was stitched together haphazardly. There wasn't any real way to get the various IVs into him, so he was bathed in a complex solution that was half primordial ooze half utopian spa. Fortunately, one last shape-that of a starfish-nearly garaunteed a complete and extraordinarily speedy recovery.

Cyborg was the first up and about. How many back up parts he kept was still unknown to the rest of the Titans. But many were in use. Liquid bandages held what was left of his human side together enough for his machine side to remain mobile. He was responsible for most of the team's emergency care.

Starfire was a completely different story. She still had not awaken. She did look a lot more peaceful. On one side of her hospital bed was what appeared to be an open, purple, giant clam. Inside were several metallic containers with Tameranean etched into the metal with masking tape labels in English under them. "Apply liquid inside to cut along with powder 4." "Press creature contained to exposed bone." "If lung punctured, place orb to hole then use Heimlick Manuever when subject begins chocking." On the other side of her bed was a glaring Robin.

2

In her room, Raven sat in the lotus position on her bed wearing only her cloak. She had reverted enough to herself to wear at least that. She had not contained her claws to the point where she could wear her boots or not rip her leotard. Her four red eyes still leaked a glow even though she had them closed. She daren't float in her meditation, she did not know if she would dare ever use her powers again. But for now, she would expend herself on reclaiming at least her physical lost humanity.

Until her phone rang.

3

Starfire's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she ignored were Cyborg's admonitions not to move. The first thing she cared about was Robin's eyes resting on her.

"I wanted to tell you as soon as you were awake.", Robin said. "I would think you would appreciate knowing."

Starfire tried to nod but winced at the pain in her neck. "is...rafen...gmf...al..l...l"

"Don't strain yourself, Star.", Cyborg warned.

Robin continued. "Yes, Raven is alive. She's in her room recuperating."

"That's not what I needed to tell you.", the boy surprised her. "You did something completely fool hardy and dangerous for someone you cared about, even when it was the wrong sacrifice. I realized that if it was me, you would have done even more-rasher, brasher. I can't let that happen. I won't have other people hurt because you chose me instead of them."

"So I'm breaking our relationship off." And with that Robin limped out of the hospice...er, Medlab.

4

Raven hadn't owned an actual telephone. She only had her affects from Azerath and what was issued her by the Titans. Every message she got would flow through the Tower's communication systems. Hence, Goth got her a cell phone for privacy. Which meant that the ringing tone signified it was only one person.

A clawed hand scraped the phone out of the drawer it was kept. Raven struggled to keep a human voice.

So the person on the other end spoke first. "Raven, you gotta help me.", Goth said. "I was just able to get away from them. I don't know how long it'll take for them to catch me. Jinx is crazy!"

Raven shook her head. What? It was the Red-X that did this to her. She needed to have her heart steeled against him. But Goth sounded so hectic, so penitent, so...sincere. It was the most emotional she had ever heard him, like when her true personality slipped through her mask of emotionless detatchment.

"I didn't want any of this. You gotta believe me. It started out with those Hivers figuring that you would have connections with a goth. It was a matter of time before they found which ones you knew. That's when they targeted me."

When Robin invented the Red-X, he spread rumors that a new thief had come to town. Jinx and Mammoth heard those rumors and kept track of him, hoping to recruit. When it turned out to be Robin's lie, they knew he would have kept the suit in your tower."

They said if I didn't steal the suit they would kill my little sister. You know she's in foster care until I could prove I could take care of her. I couldn't even take her and run. I had to do it."

I tried to get out then. But they showed me pictures of Jinx with ID Gizmo forged for her with my little sister. They told me if I didn't get the synothium, I'd never see my little sister again. All I wanted was to protect her. I didn't want to hurt you guys-that's why I came back and saved you from that mad scientist."

They kept forcing me to do things for them. The worse my conscience was, the more they threatened my little sister-then kids at random. I know what I did was wrong but I couldn't let them hurt all those kids."

I tried to drown myself in you. You were so special. I thought I couldn't be such a bad person if someone like you loved me. Then when you saw my face...it really hurt. The look you gave me."

Then Jinx. When she lied to you about me. She did this. Her and Mammoth and Gizmo. They forced both of us. They're so evil. Not like us."

If you come get me, I can show you where they are and they can be stopped. Then we'll leave this crazy town and its crazy whirlwind of super-these and super-those. We'll leave it all behind and just be us:teens in love. What do you say?"

Raven collapsed onto her bed. 


	19. Decision

Nevermore 

Raven looked down on the stony wasteland. Her four red eyes glew. Her red cloak wrapped around her like the bandages of a mummy.

The battlefield she watched was awash in emotion. This could be the most important fight of her life. She smiled.

"What the hell are you smiling at!", Raven demanded. Her green cloak blew out from around her as she called for an answer. Her glowing white eyes only met a bemused expression.

"I'm smiling...", Raven stated earily. "because I know that there are only two choices in this decision. And either choice I take, my rage will be served."

"She's right.", Raven informed. Her yellow cloak fell modestly around her. "If I do re-accept Goth, I will burn my bridges with all of our new family-the Teen Titans. If I don't, then I'll have my revenge on him for being a criminal. For what may be the first time in history, my rage is the most neutral observer present."

Another Raven spoke up, with a pink cloak wisping about her. "Listen up. I had fun with Goth, right? And if I take Goth back, then I'll have more fun-right? So the choice is simple."

Raven's yellow cloak swished around her as she turned. "It's not simple. Either choice has serious consequences in a number of different facets of my life. My final stages of development into adulthood could be made with this choice-morally, legally, career-wise and even sexually."

"Let alone the affects it will have on everyone else.", Raven said. Her head uncovered by her fushia cloak.

"That's why I need to take the moral high road here. Goth's lying. The Red X is all his fault. He used me. And when I see him I'm going to arrest him.", Raven said amidst her billowing green cloak.

"Oh, no I'm not. I'm going to run away with him.", Raven clad in pink told her.

"Fight, fight, fight...", Raven clad in red chanted.

"This is getting us no where.", Raven clad in yellow reminded. "I need more information on the situation. While Goth's explanation had no gaping holes-no magic bullets if there were, it also seems very unlikely that the likes of the HIVE were capable of such a long term plan."

"Uhm, is this going to be decided soon?", Raven clad in brown asked.

"Yes!", Raven clad in pink and Raven clad in green screamed simultaneously. Then Raven returned to glaring at herself.

"I know...", Raven clad in a wet, white, very thin cloak implied.

"Yes, I do know.", Raven clad in yellow replied. "And no, I'm not simply going to order off web-sites for immediate gratification rather than seek human relationships. Emphasis on the human, as in not plastic."

"Wait a minute, I'm on my side?", Raven clad in green asked about scantily clad Raven. "And not on mine?", pointing at Raven clad in pink.

Raven clad in pink threw her hands in the (what was presumably) air. "Oh this is complete bull/"

"Excellent.", Raven clad in red continued to celebrate.

"Don't worry, I'm on my side.", Raven clad in tan stated. "After all, taking Goth back is the easy thing to do."

"And how in all of the /unpronouncable Azerath/ is sucking face with that villain, not criminal-villain, the easy thing to do?", Raven in green tasked.

"Simple.", Raven said as her tan cloak fell lazily about her. "Everyday I struggle to protect the world from myself-advanced meditation, magical barriers and breakers, power saps, etc. And it hurts, and it's hard and today it failed."

But if we just take Goth back, I'll be protecting the world from him and me. And being teen in love is a lot easier than superheroine."

So if she's going to stand with you,", Raven clad in tan pointed at Raven in white while speaking to Raven in green. "Then I'm going to stand with her.", she said while floating slowly toward the bounciest Raven in pink.

"What do you think?", Raven in lime asked Raven in yellow.

"I'm still contemplating.", was the reply.

"What do you think?", Raven in lime asked Raven in slate.

"I don't know that I mind either descision.", Raven stated with a stony expression. "I do know that whatever descision is made, I want it to be mine. And because it is the correct one, not because I was led into it by baser emotions."

"Oh, screw you.", many Ravens cursed simultaneously.

Ignoring them, Raven in slate continued. "So I think I'm going to stand with her until this is decided." And with that she walked up the stony ruffs to Raven in red.

Raven in lime turned to Raven in sky-blue. Before she could speak, Raven in sky-blue blurted out, "Why don't you tell me what do _you_ think?" Raven in lime pondered this a moment then sat down on a rock and started thinking as hard as she could. Raven in sky-blue chuckled.

Then she walked over to Raven in brown. "Why don't we go on and watch with them?", she said while thumbing up at the girls on the cliff.

"Up there's no better than down here.", Raven in brown said droopily.

"Oh, get a move on." Raven in sky-blue punctuated the comment to Raven in brown with a swift kick in the ass.

Then Raven in lime slapped herself on the head. She sped through the air to Raven in yellow. The two started whispering intently to each other.

"Hey, big red!", Raven yelled while casting her sky-blue cloak away from her arms. "I'll take the one in lime if you take the one in yellow."

Raven shrugged under her binding red cloak. "A fight's a fight.", she said nearly apologetically.

"Wait a minute.", Raven in yellow called out. "I think we've found a solution."


	20. The End

1

Goth slowly entered the hotel room. Of course, Raven wouldn't have invited him to the tower. While her powers could get him past the other Titans, he couldn't expect her to take him into her old life. The act of cognitive dissonance required a lack of her (now former) friends. She couldn't very well pretend that taking Goth back was a good thing if her friends were there to yell at her about it.

So he agreed to come to this stereotypical "I'm on the run" motel. The Red-X was more than missing-no X-shaped gear, no hyper athletic combat readiness and no element of surprise. Simply Goth walked into the room: a slender male with too pale skin, more zippers on his pants than Marylin Manson and a fixed emotionless expression.

That quickly changed. He had anticipated a long discussion of why his being here with her was the right thing. What was waiting for him was Raven wearing only her cloak.

The girl floated up from the bed and over to him. "I've missed you so much.", she said. Her feet still didn't touch the floor. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and kissed him. Her cloak encouraged his arms around her.

He didn't need all that much encouragement. She wrapped her legs around him and he went through the motions of carrying her over to the bed. When his shins touched the bed, they collapsed onto it. With a single nip of his teeth, her cloak fell away leaving her perfectly natural. She tugged at his shirt, leading him off of her for the moment to pull it over his head. She writhed against him. The rest of his clothes fell away.

"Penetrate me.", Raven crypticly whispered. She rolled over under him. "Hurt me, Goth. I need it."

And he did. His hands clawed at her. He committed all the acts every authority figure denied young teens in love.

"Wait" was thrown away. "Make sure you're in love" went unheeded in his heart. He even signed an abstinence pledge just before to compound his ideology. His rebellion wasn't one of weakness, acts done at the beckoning of pleasure. His rebellion was deliberate, viscious and unyielding. And he smiled, for she danced this dance of daring with him. He had succeeded. Raven and the ex-Red X would live on happily ever after-dragging one of the most powerful future superheroines on the planet away from those heroics. After all, what could an artificial contrivance like morality do against the promise of happiness?

And he was happy. So he wrapped his arms around his expectant bride-to-be (if he didn't exclaim that during, he would when he awoke). His hushed whispers assured her of the good...er, happy times to come. And they slept.

2

When he awoke, the first thing he noticed was that Raven wasn't in bed anymore. The second thing he noticed was her nude form in a chair across the hotel room. "Thank you for letting me sleep.", Goth said in typical monotone.

"It was a small mercy.", Raven replied. "With what I'm going to do to you, anyone-even you-deserve at least that."

"Wha...?", Goth asked.

A small smirk crept on her lips. "Remember when I told you every girl has to have her secrets?"

"Yeah. You never did tell me your birthday.", Goth replied cautiously.

"Hmph.", Raven dismissed. "I also never told you about my empathic abilities."

Goth's heart dropped. "If you were empathic, you would have never let me get this far."

"If I could do it on the fly, probably not.", Raven agreed. "However, it's not like I'm a telepath. The darkness that festers in me calls to itself. The only way to use that lingering longing without becoming overcome by every sickening perverse thing hiding in the all too real shadows of everyone's mind is in a state of nigh-perfect relaxation. Thank you for the orgasms by the way."

"You're welcome?", Goth asked.

Raven continued. "Also, the only sentient thoughts that come across are the most intense darkness that clouds a mind. I could track necrophilic pedophile in the throes of passion anywhere in the world. I can never guess where Starfire's going to appear. I guess the H.I.V.E. brats aren't all that bad."

With what I was expec..., hoping from you, I would need you in a dream state. When you were asleep I was right here with you. Observing your heart through the tinted lenses of the eyes of rage within me. I was hoping for the same nagging guilt of abandoning our lives to be together. Remorse for pulling me away from a future with the Titans. Sadness, anguish, something."

Something human."

"All I found was your gluttonous rejoicing over my fall. You felt accomplished on subjugating me by my body. You marvelled over your defeat of 'morality' in the same sick thrill a toddler rejoices at pulling the wings off a fly. Your hatred for all that was good and holy validated by my sins."

Goth was going to open his mouth but Raven held up a finger. "I think you're going to want to save your breath."

"Because, you see, you were right. My emotions are much, much more powerful than my honor. I hide among the Titans, just like you already know. That's why I could only track Robin by his thoughts of the deaths of his parents, his ideas about the great Batman, his obsession with Slade-and none of his quiet dignity, self-sacrifice and eternal discipline. That's why I was the one who was prepared to kill Terra when she turned against us and threatened Beastboy. That's why his Man-Beast form fought for me."

"I may somewhat resemble a human being. A person who can choose to be good or evil. But I'm not. I am Raven, the herald of Trigon, the child of fate prophesized to destroy Allworlds."

"What would someTHING like me do to someone who emotionally manipulated me out of my carefully constructed charade of superheroine for his own perverse ideals? After he defrauded me of my virginity. After he made me hurt my friends. After his dreams were filled with his victory over the weaknesses of my soul."

Raven seemed pensive for a moment. Sarcastically pensive.

She snapped her fingers. "Oh, I know."

The walls and cieling of the room blew away into nothingness. Revealed was a bleak, rocky landscape populated by Ravens in cloaks of every color. A handful stood to the still seated, nude Raven's right. More beyond sight stood to her left.

"They...", Raven gestured with her right hand. "...were really rooting for you. Happy hoping to be happy. Love looking to be loved. etc. etc."

"They, on the other hand...", Raven gestured with her left. "Haven't had so much fun since you've entered their life. Rage is particularly looking forward to your eternal damnation within the darker recesses of my mind."

Goth's mask of apathy entrenched itself. "I have a last request."

"But of course.", said entirely too many Ravens in an entirely too earie chorus.

"If I could manipulate you this far, why did I fail now?", Goth asked the last words he would ever speak without screaming.

"I'll field that.", Raven in a sopping wet, see-through cloak stated. This one somehow appeared more erotic than the naked actual Raven lounging in a sleazy motel arm-chair.

"I have issues with my father. More to the point, I have issues with males that are supposed to love me only enjoying me through my enslavement. You pushed to far asking for my forgiveness of you and myself. I probably would have let you survive, even live if you had headed for the hills. But that phone call forced me to confront myself."

"But the most sexy thing about you was my forgetting myself. And self-confrontation is a big turn off for me."

"I still wanted you, the life you offered. Unfortunately, I convinced myself to secretly test you. And you failed."

"So now you'll subsist here. With them."

A Raven with a blood red cloak and four glowing red eyes broke in. "Enough with this melodramatic semanticism. Gimme, I want bone marrow." Her call was echoed in various curses in the crowd to the 'actual' Raven's left.

"Of course.", Raven stated. "I'm going back to my room to get dressed."

"Good-bye, Goth."

"Good-bye, the Red X."


	21. Epilogue

Raven walked into the common room in the Titans' tower. Cyborg was cooking up a BAR-B-Q with Beastboy still regenerating. It took his mind off Robin and Starfire sitting at oppositte ends of the Titans' couch, acting as if they were alright, staring at a television that was turned off.

"Hey, Rae.", Cyborg said. "You alright?"

"Yes, I am Cyborg.", Raven answered. "I captured the Red X and personally extradited him to the country he committed the most heinous acts against."

"Oh, good.", Cyborg complimented. "I was worried you might torture him to death, bring him back and do it all over again."

Raven shook her head. "Is that something a superheroine would do?"

Cyborg laughed. A Raven in a green cloak bit her cheek. A Raven in a red cloak laughed. A Raven in a yellow cloak shook her head. And a Raven in a pink cloak was in as nearly as much pain as Goth was.


	22. Author's notes

The thesis I wanted to make was "love isn't a good thing". I'm not saying it isn't. I'm saying I wanted to make that statement in this story. That's why there were sub-couples. Jinx and Cyborg having come to grips with their own duplicity. Beastboy in constant mourning. Robin and Starfire inevitably breaking up by being themselves.

Plus, the existance of evil was fun to play around with. I, personally, am convinced of the horrible people of the world that makes the statement "The problem with the death penalty is the justice system, not the death penalty." valid in my mind. I had to come up with a crime that topped September 11, where a collection of syndicate cells of 100 or so are responsible for the death of 5000 and $100 billion in economy damage. I think "releasing demon prophesized to destroy allworlds" might have been potentially bigger if the Teen Titans had not stopped Raven, and she didn't stop herself.

Blonde Shadowcat: Thank you. With it now finished, hopefully you found out what happenned next.

Voltor: I did not erase your reviews.

Mermaid Ninja: I agree that Jinx is a fighter. After all, she's what amounts to the senior member of a supervillain terrorist group that has the collective self-control of teen agers. She endured Brother Blood's mind control and 'tests'. However, that also means (at least to me) that she would fight to endure the Red X's tortures if she thought it would get her something. And with what Jinx has in her life, a stronger team and a higher ability to use her powers is about all she could wish for. A semi-stable relationship with a complete nut job is just 'icing'.

That's why Jinx didn't fight the Red X. It was (somewhat) on her terms and (very much) on terms she was accostummed to.

Krupted: T'anks.

Tamaran:The Red X and Raven perposterous? Of course.

Raven and Goth? Highly likely. The comic book based on the show is heading this way, and I look forward to what they do with it.

Raven and Goth (who is the Red X)? From Malchior, we see that Raven WILL fall for a quiet, magic friendly, darkness accepting, pale and slender young man that is really just manipulating her to be more evil to serve his own interests.

goth-in-purple:Thank you.

sweetnsexy2688:Thank you.

thedarkoneissaccwierdo:I don't quite see how my personal tastes make the story better or lesser if it's the same words that appear on your screen either way.

The Red X is an entity born from all the darkness of Robin. Which means obsessive, controlling, hormonal...all the things Robin tries to expunge from himself with his rediculous training and epic heroism. The Red X would neccessarily have to be someone who was the worst of the deception Robin uses in his stealthier pursuits, not to mention the lies told in the creation of the Red X. The Red X would have to be brutally dominating in every relationship. How could the Red X not be?

spastic dragon tamer:The end is now up.

beautiful-kamiya:Thank you.

XPheonixX:I never erased any reviews.

I didn't think the revelation of Goth was a 'twist', but inevitable. Who else could have gotten in the Titan's tower to steal the suit and not crossed the Titan's minds to check? The Titan's East wouldn't have stolen it. Terra defected to Slade and was wearing his suit he made for her. Slade (being Robin's nemesis on the show) is fully capable of making a better suit than Robin is, so if he needed a Red X for psych-warfare he would have made his own suit, so I doubt he would have Terra steal it.

On top of that, if you notice Chapter 8-the Talk Goth tells Robin he is the Red X. "With my black clothing and inpenetrable mask of emotionlessness, I'm obviously a supervillain." and "In fact, I'm your exact counterpart and your worst...what's the term? 'Rogue' from your own personal 'rogue's gallery'."

I tried to show that the Red X wasn't evil, but arguing against its existance. Evil is culturally defined (our use of oil would have shamed the indigenous people of the "new world", technology is against Aboriginal doctrine, showing a woman's face in public was a crime under the Taliban, and we are unhesitant to topple a government in the most subversive ways if we find them evil). "I'm evil" is also a self-perception cast aside a lot faster than "I'm hungry" or "I'm hurt" or even "I'm happy."

Hence his plan of finding the person most dedicated to not being evil, then manipulating her into basically saying "sour grapes" after failing to be not evil.

I could see the forces that would make a quiet, sullen, moody teen that would use a pick up line on a superheroine that actually worked into a person that would be psychotic enough to attempt this in a comic-book-esque world.

By the way, the line I'm referring to is-Raven:"This party is pointless." Goth:"Everything's pointless. Wanna go somewhere and talk about it?" Since, then "Wanna go somewhere and talk about it?" is a majority of his lines from his one and two shot appearances. Hence, the title of this fan-fic.

s:Yay. Fan-fics. Yay! If you like fan-fics like me, then you'd yell like me. "Yay!"

Mrs Raven Black:Now it is over.

While I realized the 'grand debate' scene would be confusing, I felt is somewhat neccessary to the piece. The different sides of Raven wouldn't think of themselves as "My name is (insert emotion), nice to meet you?". You don't feel like your name is "Mad" when you're angry, right? Besides, in the ep nevermore, they don't identify themselves as such. Hence, I referred to each individual emotion as Raven and color coded them as accurately as I could.

thiswolflovesnoone:The toughness of the resolving decision is what I wanted to create with the story. I didn't want this to be a "she could give into temptation or be honorable" because of course she has to be the one and not the other. I wanted this to be a "both decisions are half lies and not all that bad". I didn't want it to be wrong to choose Goth, but I didn't want it to be blameless to choose the Red X.

As for chapter size, it just happenned that way. Chapters in an actual novel are much much bigger though.

nightgoddess10:So it seems it is not my pacing, but my grammar that is the problem. Actually, you're right. I have a bad habit of super-long run on sentences because my thoughts are large and I want to get them out in one sentence which is supposed to represent one complete thought but becomes a story in itself and that reminds me of this one time (at band camp) when...

eecee688:Thanks.

IrisBlue:Thanks for the compliments.

Another clue to the Red X being Goth is that the story is listed under Raven and Red-X.

The fact that you found the Red-X hot (despite his thievery, his torture of Jinx, his chastisement of the immobile Terra, etc.) until he was revealed to be a liar...disturbs me a little, honestly.

I thought about a team confrontal ending-Goth walks in and the Titans jump him. But that would mean resolving the Red-X with Robin, something I'm not going to do. It would also turn into a long fight to justify the Red-X' previously winning. Raven's imprisonment of Goth however gave the irony of the Red X/Goth being absolutely correct, Raven is a demon soul, and suffering nonetheless. 


End file.
